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

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Adult
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

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
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Body mass index changeBaseline, 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 changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - vegetable purchase changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - oils, fats, sauces, nuts and seeds purchase changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - overall food shopping healthiness changeBaseline, 9 weeks

The overall food shopping healthiness as indicated by Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index

Food purchase behavior - fruit purchase changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - protein food purchase changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - beverage purchase changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - grains, potatoes and legumes purchase changeBaseline, 9 weeks

Loyalty card data

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Food purchase behavior - energy purchase changeBaseline, 9weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - protein purchase changeBaseline, 9weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - sugar purchase changeBaseline, 9weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - saturated fatty acids purchase changeBaseline, 9weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - sodium purchase changeBaseline, 9weeks

Loyalty card data

Food purchase behavior - fiber purchase changeBaseline, 9weeks

Loyalty card data

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of St. Gallen

🇨🇭

St. Gallen, Saint Gallen, Switzerland

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

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