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

Adult Clinical Trial

Official title:

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

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05597969
• Other study ID #: FOODCOACH2022
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 9, 2022
• Est. completion date: May 26, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: November 2023
• Source: University of St.Gallen
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial 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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: May 26, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: May 26, 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

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.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Adult

Intervention

Behavioral:
• FoodCoach
The FoodCoach app displays transparent analysis and recommendations regarding participant's food purchases recorded on their loyalty cards. It tries to help participants understand why and how they should/can shop more healthily, motivating them to change their unhealthy food purchase behavior.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Switzerland	University of St. Gallen	St. Gallen	Saint Gallen

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of St.Gallen	Sanitas Management AG, Swiss National Science Foundation, University hospital of Bern

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Switzerland, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Body mass index change	Survey data. Note that the post-study survey is "voluntary" because the investigators cannot force participants to finish it.	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - overall food shopping healthiness change	The overall food shopping healthiness as indicated by Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - fruit purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - vegetable purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - protein food purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - processed food purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - beverage purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - oils, fats, sauces, nuts and seeds purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Primary	Food purchase behavior - grains, potatoes and legumes purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9 weeks
Secondary	Food purchase behavior - energy purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9weeks
Secondary	Food purchase behavior - sugar purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9weeks
Secondary	Food purchase behavior - saturated fatty acids purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9weeks
Secondary	Food purchase behavior - sodium purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9weeks
Secondary	Food purchase behavior - fiber purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9weeks
Secondary	Food purchase behavior - protein purchase change	Loyalty card data	Baseline, 9weeks