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other·nutrition, dietetics, public health, clinical trial, research methods·PMC10020902

A Smartphone Intervention to Promote a Sustainable Healthy Diet: Protocol for a Pilot Study

JMIR Research Protocols · 7 authors, 7 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

POPULATION21 participants from low, middle, and high socioeconomic statuses (7 from each group)

INTERVENTIONA smartphone-based intervention involving text messages and brief individualized web-based feedback sessions based on regular app-based assessments of eating behavior

COMPARISONBaseline and postintervention follow-up periods within an ABA n-of-1 trial design

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

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TL;DR

This is a protocol for a pilot study using a smartphone-based intervention to promote sustainable healthy diets among 21 participants.

Full summary

707 CHARS

This paper describes the protocol for a pilot study evaluating a smartphone-based intervention to promote sustainable healthy diets. The intervention delivers personalized text messages and web-based feedback based on app-assessed eating behaviors. The primary objectives are to assess feasibility and effectiveness in improving an environmentally sustainable healthy diet index and specific food-related outcomes. Secondary objectives explore mediating mechanisms and the role of socioeconomic status. The study aims to enroll 21 participants stratified by socioeconomic status. A noted limitation is the use of a new, unvalidated primary outcome measure, which the authors plan to refine using pilot data.

PICO

PPOPULATION

21 participants from low, middle, and high socioeconomic statuses (7 from each group)

IINTERVENTION

A smartphone-based intervention involving text messages and brief individualized web-based feedback sessions based on regular app-based assessments of eating behavior

OOUTCOME

Primary outcomes include feasibility and changes in environmentally sustainable healthy diet index, specific food groups, food waste, and obtaining food from fair sources. Secondary outcomes include mechanisms of action, spillover effects, and the role of socioeconomic status.

STUDY TYPE

other

SPECIALTY

nutrition

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10020902

A Smartphone Intervention to Promote a Sustainable Healthy Diet: Protocol for a Pilot Study

JMIR Research Protocols

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Background Changing current dietary patterns into sustainable healthy diets (ie, healthy diets with low environmental impact and socioeconomic fairness) is urgent. So far, few eating behavior change interventions have addressed all the dimensions of sustainable healthy diets at once and used cutting-edge methods from the field of digital health behavior change. Objective The primary objectives of this pilot study were to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of an individual behavior change intervention toward the adoption of a more environmentally sustainable healthy diet as a whole and changes in specific relevant food groups, food waste, and obtaining food from fair sources. The secondary objectives included the identification of mechanisms of action that potentially mediate the effect of the intervention on behaviors, identification of potential spillover effects and covariations among different food outcomes, and identification of the role of socioeconomic status in behavior changes. Methods We will run a series of ABA n-of-1 trials over a year, with the first A phase corresponding to a 2-week baseline evaluation, the B phase to a 22-week intervention, and the second A phase to a 24-week postintervention follow-up. We plan to enroll 21 participants from low, middle, and high socioeconomic statuses, with 7 from each socioeconomic group. The intervention will involve sending text messages and providing brief individualized web-based feedback sessions based on regular app-based assessments of eating behavior. The text messages will contain brief educational messages on human health and the environmental and socioeconomic effects of dietary choices; motivational messages to encourage the adoption of sustainable healthy diets by participants, providing tips to achieve their own behavioral goals; or links to recipes. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be collected. Quantitative data (eg, on eating behaviors and motivation) will be collected through self-reported questionnaires on several weekly bursts spread through the study. Qualitative data will be collected through 3 individual semistructured interviews before the intervention period, at the end of the intervention period, and at the end of the study. Analyses will be performed at both the individual and group levels depending on the outcome and objective. Results The first participants were recruited in October 2022. The final results are expected by October 2023. Conclusions The results of this pilot study will be useful for designing future larger interventions on individual behavior change for sustainable healthy diets. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/41443

CITATION EXPORT

Ujué Fresán, Paquito Bernard, Sergi Fabregues et al.. A Smartphone Intervention to Promote a Sustainable Healthy Diet: Protocol for a Pilot Study. JMIR Research Protocols. (2023). https://doi.org/10.2196/41443

AUTHORS

7 · 7 CENTRES

Ujué Fresán, Paquito Bernard, Sergi Fabregues, Anna Boronat, Vera Araújo-Soares, Laura M König, Guillaume Chevance

1 ISGlobal Barcelona Spain
2 Department of Physical Activity Sciences Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal, QC Canada
3 Research Center University Institute of Mental Health at Montreal Montréal, QC Canada
4 Department of Psychology and Education Open University of Catalonia Barcelona Spain
5 Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neurosciences Research Group Neurosciences Research Program Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) Barcelona Spain
6 Center for Preventive Medicine and Digital Health (CPD) Medical Faculty Mannheim Heidelberg University Heidelberg Netherlands
7 Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health University of Bayreuth Bayreuth Germany

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Amaryllis Mavragani, Petra Wark, Jeff Bray