PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means readily and accurately detecting an eating movement without invading the privacy of a subject.SOLUTION: This eating utensil 1 having one end part 1a held by the fingers of a user and having the other end part 1b put in the mouth of the user in time of eating includes: a first electrode 2 provided in the one end part of the eating utensil a second electrode 3 provided in the other end part of the eating utensil in a state that the second electrode 3 is electrically insulated from the first electrode a resistance measurement part 4 incorporated in the eating utensil, and measuring the electric resistance between the first and second electrodes and an eating movement detection part 5 incorporated in the eating utensil, and deciding that the eating movement of the user has occurred when the measurement value of the resistance measurement part is a predetermined reference value or below to output an eating movement detection signal. The reference value is predetermined based on the electric resistance value measured by the resistance measurement part when an electrical closed circuit is formed by the eating utensil and the body of the user according to the eating movement of the user.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】被検者のプライバシーを侵害することなく、摂食動作を手軽にかつ正確に検出できる手段を提供する。【解決手段】摂食時に、一端部1aが使用者の手指で把持され、他端部1bが使用者の口に入れられる摂食用具1と、摂食用具の一端部に設けられた第1の電極2と、摂食用具の他端部に第1の電極から電気的に絶縁された状態で設けられた第2の電極3と、摂食用具に内蔵され、第1および第2の電極間の電気抵抗を測定する抵抗測定部4と、摂食用具に内蔵され、抵抗測定部の測定値が予め決定された基準値以下であるとき、使用者の摂食動作が生じたものと判定して、摂食動作検出信号を出力する摂食動作検出部5を備える。基準値は、使用者の摂食動作に伴って摂食用具と使用者の身体とにより電気的閉回路が形成された場合に抵抗測定部によって測定される電気抵抗値に基づいて予め決定される。【選択図】図1
