The Effect of an Application-based Health Intervention (FoodCoach) on Food Purchases in Switzerland

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Adult
• Interventions: Behavioral: FoodCoach

• Registration Number: NCT05597969
• Lead Sponsor: University of St.Gallen

Brief Summary

The FoodCoach study is a 9-week randomized controlled trial from the University of St.Gallen and the University Hospital of Bern, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation #188402 and by Sanitas Management AG. Sanitas Management AG supports the recruiting of study participants without interfering with the study content.

FoodCoach aims to investigate the effectiveness of improving people's food shopping healthiness by providing automated food shopping recommendations. The results of the study could possibly help improve the health status of the Swiss population and beyond in a low-cost and automated manner.

The investigators collect participant grocery data via the loyalty card programs "Migros Cumulus" and "Coop Supercard" after obtaining participants' informed consent. From this data, the investigators generate automated recommendations that are based on the Nutri-Score framework and expertise of dieticians at the University Hospital of Bern. After sign-up, participants are randomized into a treatment and a control group. The treatment group receives automated recommendations via the FoodCoach Web Application, while the control group only receives a report about their food shopping by email after the intervention phase. Both groups need to finish the same onboarding survey where the investigators collect basic demographic information. After the intervention, the treatment group will receive a post-study survey containing two parts via email. Part 1 includes questions about the ease of use, interface and satisfaction and usefulness of the FoodCoach app. Part 2 includes questions about the participants' weight and height, the motivation to shop healthily and sustainably. The control group will receive a post-study survey which only contains part 2 as described before via email.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-10-21
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-25
• Study First Posted: 2022-10-28
• Study Start: 2022-11-09
• Primary Completion: 2023-05-26
• Study Completion: 2023-05-26
• Status Verified: 2023-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-11-28
• Last Update Posted: 2023-11-29

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

• Participants need to be at least 18 years old by the time they join the study.
• Participants need to participate in at least one of the two loyalty card programmes, i.e., Migros Cumulus and/or Coop Supercard.
• Participants need to be German- and/or English-speaking, as the FoodCoach application is in German and English.

Exclusion Criteria

• Younger than 18 years old by the time the participants join the study.
• Do not participate in at least one of the two loyalty card programmes, i.e., Migros Cumulus and/or Coop Supercard.
• Not German- and/or English-speaking, so that the participants cannot understand the content of the app.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
FoodCoach	FoodCoach	The experimental group uses the FutureMe app for 9 weeks and continue to voluntarily use it. The app has the following functionality: * Dashboard: show the Nutri-Score changes over the last 10 baskets and comparisons between the specific user and all FoodCoach app users. * Recommendations: show three recommendations regarding their food purchases and healthier product recommendations to help them achieve these recommendations. * Nutrition Analysis: show the monthly energy contribution of 7 food categories in the past 6 months. * Spending Analysis: show the monthly expense contribution of 7 food categories and 1 not categorized category in the past 6 months. * Shopping history: show their purchase history in the past 6 months, together with monthly average Nutri-Score and basket Nutri-Score if applicable * Q \& A: show answers to the commonly asked questions. E.g., how is the Nutri-Score calculated?

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Body mass index change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Survey data. Note that the post-study survey is "voluntary" because the investigators cannot force participants to finish it.
Food purchase behavior - processed food purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - vegetable purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - oils, fats, sauces, nuts and seeds purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - overall food shopping healthiness change	Baseline, 9 weeks	The overall food shopping healthiness as indicated by Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index
Food purchase behavior - fruit purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - protein food purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - beverage purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - grains, potatoes and legumes purchase change	Baseline, 9 weeks	Loyalty card data

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Food purchase behavior - energy purchase change	Baseline, 9weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - protein purchase change	Baseline, 9weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - sugar purchase change	Baseline, 9weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - saturated fatty acids purchase change	Baseline, 9weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - sodium purchase change	Baseline, 9weeks	Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - fiber purchase change	Baseline, 9weeks	Loyalty card data

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of St. Gallen; 🇨🇭 St. Gallen, Saint Gallen, Switzerland