None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
We have developed a smartphone application, MunchIO, to help users reduce their consumption of unhealthy snack foods. Users are asked to track their snack food consumption while being provided support to understand and plan against their snacking habits. The novel distinguishing factor of this app is the use of behaviour change techniques known as cue monitoring and implementation intentions. Cue monitoring refers to tracking snacks alongside user affect and context data that can influence individuals to consume snacks. For example, a snacking cue might involve being stressed. Implementation intentions then refer to creating if-then plans that when repeated form a new replacement habit for snacking. For example, if I am stressed, I will go for a walk. This research project will collect data from two phases: Phase I includes data from the smartphone application (see above for outline of the app). Phase II includes data collected from a series of focus group interviews. Overall, the aim of this project is to determine if these apps features have any impact on participant snacking, engagement and retention. Results will further inform the design and deployment of future interventions.
Interventions
The MunchIO app will be trialled as an intervention app for those wanting to begin a diet with the aim of reducing unhealthy snacking.
Participants will be randomised into either an intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive full access to the MunchIO app, including novel cue monitoring and implementation intention features aimed at planning against unhealthy snacking.
During the first week of monitoring, all participants will log snack intake, respond
The MunchIO app will be trialled as an intervention app for those wanting to begin a diet with the aim of reducing unhealthy snacking. Participants will be randomised into either an intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group will receive full access to the MunchIO app, including novel cue monitoring and implementation intention features aimed at planning against unhealthy snacking. During the first week of monitoring, all participants will log snack intake, respond to randomised prompts and complete an evening meal summary in the MunchIO app. On completion of the first week, participants randomised to the intervention condition will receive a cue monitoring prompt containing their top three snacking cues requiring implementation intention planning (if-then style plans). The cue monitoring component will utilise an odds ratio algorithm between the snack entries and random prompts to identify top cue exposures that lead to unhealthy snacking (Szumilas 2010; Verhoeven, Adriaanse, de Vet, Fennis, et al. 2014). Implementation intention read in the format of “if I am stressed, I will go for a walk”. Intervention participants will be reminded daily of their cue monitoring and implementation intentions. The duration of the intervention will be for a 28 day period. After the 28-day monitoring period has elapsed, all content will be available to all users. This means that participants in the control group will receive content and information support the same as what the intervention group had available after the first week. The completion of the snack entries, the random prompts and the completion of the evening report each day will provide an indication of participants adherence to the intervention.
Sponsors
University of Tasmania
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Caregiver)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
To be eligible for enrolment interested individuals will need to report via the app that they are a) being aged between 18 and 65 years old; b) able to read English; c) have a BMI in the overweight/obese range and d) own a compatible mobile phone.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals will be excluded from the study if they report a) they have an Eating Disorder and/or b) are not using the MunchIO app for a serious attempt to reduce unhealthy snacking habits. Healthy volunteers are able to download the app. But only the eating patterns of individuals with a BMI in the overweight/obese range will be examined.
Outcome results
None listed