Sustainable Eating for a Healthy Tomorrow - Effectiveness of Digital Nutrition Workshops to Implement the Planetary Health Diet for Hospital Employees
- Conditions
- Personnel, HospitalHealthy Volunteers
- Registration Number
- NCT06666296
- Lead Sponsor
- Universität Duisburg-Essen
- Brief Summary
The investigators will explore the effect of digital media on communicating a planetary diet and invite participants to change dietary habits. Standardized questionnaires, physical examinations, and qualitative interviews will be used to obtain data on the effectiveness of the intervention. Once initial assessments are complete, a blinded researcher will randomly assign participants to one of two groups, without influence from either participants or study coordinators.
Both groups will participate in a nutrition course over a 13-week period, followed by a booster session five months after randomization, and will be encouraged to practice the methods at home. One group will receive intensive support, including a digital training program (around 2 hours per week), while the other group will receive digital information and sustainable recipes with limited support (about 30 minutes per week).
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 64
- Age from 18 years
- Employee at the University Hospital Essen
- A functioning smartphone
- Moderate willingness (at least 5 points on NRS) to want to change diet
- Access to digital media and social media
- Insufficient knowledge of the German language
- Simultaneous participation in other clinical intervention studies
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Healthy Eating Habits - Healthy Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI) Month 3 Changes in heathy eating habits are measured using a generally recognized Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) in the validated German DEGS-Version from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany. The DEGS comprises 53 questions and records the frequency of consumption of various food groups and drinks over a certain period of time. The following habits are assessed: healthy plant-based foods, less healthy plant-based foods and animal-based foods. The Helathy Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI) is calculated from the DEGS questionnaire. The score of the hPDI can range from 18 to 90, with a higher index reflecting a more plant-based and less animal-based diet.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Healthy Eating Habits - Healthy Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI) Month 12 Changes in heathy eating habits are measured using a generally recognized Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) in the validated German DEGS-Version from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany. The DEGS comprises 53 questions and records the frequency of consumption of various food groups and drinks over a certain period of time. The following habits are assessed: healthy plant-based foods, less healthy plant-based foods and animal-based foods. The Helathy Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI) is calculated from the DEGS questionnaire. The score of the hPDI can range from 18 to 90, with a higher index reflecting a more plant-based and less animal-based diet.
Willingness to Change (PIAC) Month 12 The questionnaire PIAC (Perception, intention and ability for change) questionnaire relates to the ability to change health behavior, habits and living conditions. The statements are based on respondents' experiences and cover various factors such as substance use, dietary habits, lack of exercise and disease-promoting behaviors. The PIAC contains 13 questions that can be answered at a scale from "strongly disagree" (0 points) to "strongly agree" (4 points). A higher score (0-52 range) shows a positive attitude, strong intent, and ability to adopt healthier behaviors.
Adaptive Coping with Disease (AKU) Month 12 The questionnaire AKU (AKU is an acronym of the German translation of "Adaptive Coping with Disease") meassures active and adaptive behaviors to maintain health. It offers the opportunity to record and quantify the implementation of strategies to promote health in different contexts, taking into account both external influences and individual, internal convictions. We used one subsclae of the AKU (Conscious way of living), which consists of 5 questions and ranges from "Does not apply at all" (0 points) to "Applies exactly" (4 points). Therefore, the sum score ranges from 0-20. A high score indicates strong adaptive health behavior and good implementation of health-promoting strategies.
Self-efficacy (HSSES) Month 12 Health-specific self-efficacy scale (HSSES) meassures the confidence in the ability to accomplish certain health tasks, even if they are challenging. In the area of nutrition, self-efficacy can positively influence an intervention. HSSES is a set of 5 questions to be answered on a scale of 0-4: (0) very uncertain, (1) somewhat uncertain, (2) I cannot say, (3) somewhat certain, and (4) very certain. Therefore, the sum ranges between 0-20. A higher score on the HSSES indicates strong confidence in one's ability to change their diet, which can positively influence behavior.
Quality of Life (WHO-5) Month 12 The WHO-5 Index (Well-being index of the WHO) is a self-assessment method for measuring quality of life. Participants answers 5 questions on a six-point Likert scale (from 0 = "At no time" to 5 = "All the time"). The sum score is calculated by adding up the 5 item values, with higher values indicating better quality of life. Therefore, a score to be achieved is between 0-25.
Environmental and Climate Behavior (YCSCB) Month 12 The YCSCB (Young Consumers' Sustainable Consumption Behavior) scale is used to meassure the respondent's sustainable consumption behavior. The questionnaire contains 14 short questions that can be answered in four categories: "never" (0 points), "sometimes" (1 points), "often" (2 points) and "always" (3 points). Therefore, a score between 0-51 points can be achieved. A higher score on the YCSCB indicates a strong sustainable behavior.
Body Mass Index (MBI) Month 12 The measurement of body weight is a fundamental indicator of overall health and can provide insights into potential health risks. Increased body weight and therefore Body Mass Index (BMI) may indicate overweight or obesity, which is associated with a higher risk of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Regular weight monitoring allows for the early detection of changes in body weight, enabling the implementation of preventive measures if necessary. Body weight is therefore measured on a calibrated and validated scale, while wearing only underwear. BMI ranges are categorized as follows: underweight: \<18.5, normal weight: 18.5-24.9, overweight: 25-29.9, obesity: ≥30.
Waist Circumference Month 12 The measurement of waist circumference plays a crucial role in assessing the risk of metabolic syndrome and current health status. By determining waist circumference, the distribution of body fat and the mass of visceral fat (abdominal fat) can be evaluated, enabling an individual risk assessment of concomitant diseases. Abdominal obesity, characterized by an increased proportion of visceral fat, is associated with a higher risk of metabolic and cardiovascular health issues. Waist measurement is independent of body size and offers insights into intra-abdominal fat mass and total body fat. Women: low risk: \<80 cm, increased risk: 80-88 cm, highly increased risk: \>88 cm. Men: low risk: \<94 cm, increased risk: 94-102 cm, highly increased risk.
Adverse events (AEs) Month 0 to 3 (during intervention) Safety was operationalized as the number of participants with adverse events (AE) or study withdrawals due to AEs. AEs were defined as any untoward medical occurrence in a participant, which did not have to have a defined causal relationship with the treatment being studied. Cases of any untoward medical occurrence that, at any dose, resulted in death, were life-threatening, required inpatient hospitalization, or caused persistent or significant disability were assessed as serious AEs.
Qualitative Interviews Month 3
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Center for Integrative Medicine and Planetary Health, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen
🇩🇪Essen, Germany