FOODLIT-Trial: Digital Behaviour Change Intervention to Improve Food Literacy Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Food Habits; Food Literacy; Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Eating Behavior

• Registration Number: NCT04806074
• Lead Sponsor: ISPA - Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Psicologicas, Sociais e da Vida

Brief Summary

Given that healthy food-related habits are protective of both malnutrition and multiple noncommunicable diseases (including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer), and acknowledging that poor diets constitute a greater risk to mortality, it is essential to improve individuals' food-related knowledge, skills, and behaviours. Furthermore, the current public health context caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for an adequate diet as a protective factor for one's global health.

In the ambit of the FOODLIT-PRO: Food Literacy Project (ref. SFRH/BD/128528/2017), a digital intervention to promote food literacy - that is, food-related knowledge, competencies, and behaviours - encompassing behavioural change strategies and psychological determinants (such as intention, planning, and self-efficacy) was developed.

With the online deliver of personalised evidence-based materials concerning food literacy, adult participants receive weekly challenges that promote their food-related knowledge (e.g., recognising food's origin and seasonality), competencies (e.g., as cooking and planning skills), and behaviours (e.g., tracking food intake, interpret nutritional labels). Matched with tailored behavioural change strategies (experimental group), both food literacy content and psychological aspects that relate to health behaviour are assessed weekly in order to evaluate the intervention's efficacy. Follow-ups at 3-, 6- and 9-months post intervention will be assessed.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2020-08-14
• Primary Completion: 2020-12-06
• Study First Submitted: 2021-03-17
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-03-17
• Study First Posted: 2021-03-19
• Study Completion: 2021-09-06
• Status Verified: 2021-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-10-14
• Last Update Posted: 2021-10-19

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 215

Inclusion Criteria

• Having a minimum of digital literacy to access, visualise and download online material related to the intervention;
• Having the availability to participate in the intervention (11 weeks) and posterior follow-up moments.

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Food Literacy (FOODLIT-Tool)	Measure applied at baseline, one week post-intervention, and at 3-, 6- and 9-months follow-ups in order to evaluate.	Published at Appetite (Rosas Pimenta, Leal, \& Schwarzer, 2022), this is a 24-item tool that assesses the perception of food literacy-related knowledge, competencies, and behaviours, according to the Food Literacy Wheel (Rosas et al., 2021). The food literacy aspects are measured through five domains: (i) origin, (ii) production and quality, (iii) select and plan, (iv) environmentally safe, and (v) cooking skills.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Assessment of Health Action Process Approach Model (HAPA) Variables	Measure at baseline, one week post-intervention, and at 3-, 6- and 9-months follow-ups	All measures of the HAPA model were based on the work of Schwarzer (2008) and Godinho, Alvarez, Lima, and Schwarzer (2014).; A total of 46-items assessed (i) outcome expectations, (ii) risk perception, (iii) action self-efficacy, (iv) maintenance self-efficacy, (v) recovery self-efficacy, (vi) intention, (vii) action planning, (viii) coping planning, and (ix) action control.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

ISPA - Instituto Universitário; 🇵🇹 Lisboa, Portugal