Effects of a smartphone intervention targeting fruit and vegetable consumption
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN23466915 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN23466915 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsor | University of Groningen (Netherlands) |
| Funder | Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development |
- Submission date
- 04/02/2015
- Registration date
- 12/02/2015
- Last edited
- 13/06/2016
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
High percentages of people do not adhere to the recommendations to eat enough fruit and vegetables. The aim in this study is to apply tailored auditory and textual persuasive health communication to increase fruit and vegetable intake.
Who can participate?
Dutch adults, who own a smartphone (Android) and do not always eat two pieces of fruit and 200 grams of vegetables per day
What does the study involve?
After downloading the smartphone application in Google Play, participants can complete baseline questions about their own health. All questions and stimuli are presented in the smartphone application. Respondents will be randomly allocated to a tailored (textual or auditory) message and additional evaluation measures (intervention group) or measurements at the start and beginning of the study, and they will not have access to the general content of the smartphone application (control group). Additionally, the intervention group will have access to the general smartphone application content (consisting of recipes and additional information). They can also expect reminders during the 6 months of the study to log in again and they will be asked to answer some new questions and read or listen to new information that is added every month to the application. After 6 months, participants will receive an email reminder for the final questionnaire.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants will gain an insight into their fruit and vegetable intake, and, in future, persuasive health messages might increase fruit and vegetable intake within a smartphone application. There are no known risks to participants taking part in this study.
Where is the study run from?
Netherlands: University of Groningen and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2013 to June 2014
Who is funding the study?
Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development
Who is the main contact?
Ms Sarah Elbert
Professor Arie Dijkstra
Contact information
Scientific
Faculty Behavioral and Social Sciences
Department of Social Psychology
Grote Kruisstraat 2/1
Groningen
9712 TS
Netherlands
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-9722-8076 |
|---|
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Interventional randomised controlled study |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Effects of a smartphone intervention targeting fruit and vegetable consumption among Dutch adults: a randomised controlled trial |
| Study objectives | 1. A tailored health intervention may be more effective than a control in which no health information is given 2. To test the possible difference in effects between the more classic textual mode of communication and the auditory mode of communication (reading versus listening) |
| Ethics approval(s) | Ethical committee of the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, 05/09/2013, ref: 13012-N |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Fruit and vegetable intake in the general population |
| Intervention | 1. Text-based and audio-based tailored health information based on psychological factors that are known to predict fruit and vegetable intake 2. Control (no health information) Respondents will complete baseline and post-test measures at 6-month follow-up (between-participants design). |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Self-reported fruit and vegetable intake at 6-month follow-up, measured with a detailed and validated food frequency questionnaire |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
After the frequency questionnaire on fruit and vegetable intake at 6-month follow-up, questions will be added to evaluate the information and smartphone application as a whole on a range of measures: |
| Completion date | 15/06/2014 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 300 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Age 16 years or older 2. Living in the Netherlands 3. Owning an Android device (smartphone or tablet, Android version 2.2 or more) with an installed version of Adobe Air (if necessary, they were automatically directed to Google Play to install it safely) 4. Not yet consuming two pieces of fruit and 200 grams of vegetables per day |
| Key exclusion criteria | Intolerance to fruit |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/10/2013 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/11/2013 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Netherlands
Study participating centres
2517 KL
Netherlands
Groningen
9712 TS
Netherlands
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 10/06/2016 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
13/06/2016: Publication reference added.
