Rewarding Healthy Food Choices: a Mobile Serious Game Intervention in Adolescents

NCT02622165 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: SBO-120054
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,463
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to conduct an outcome and process evaluation of the REWARD intervention, a serious game intervention using reward-based strategies as a main method to trigger healthy snacking in Flemish adolescents.

Conditions

Nutrition Intervention

Keywords

health promotion; nutrition; intervention; adolescents; serious game

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in the Healthy Snacking Index

  A healthy snacking index will be calculated based on a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Snacks are in this study defined as all food items consumed outside (\>30 min) of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The daily intake of each FFQ category will be obtained by multiplying the frequency of consumption with the quantity of consumption per week (g) divided by 7. These daily intakes will then be summed to obtain the daily intake of healthy snacks (g), and unhealthy snacks (g). The classification of snacks and drinks into healthy and unhealthy is based on the nutrient profiling model as developed by the UK NP Ofcom model (Lobstein et al. 2009). Finally a health index for snacks will be calculated: (gram healthy snacks / (gram healthy snacks + gram unhealthy snacks))\*100.

  The outcome will be measured at the baseline (before start intervention), posttest (1-7 days after the intervention end)

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Change in Body mass index

  The outcome will be measured at the baseline (before start intervention), posttest (1-7 days after the intervention end)

• Change in awareness about healthy snacking

  The outcome will be measured at the baseline (before start intervention), posttest (1-7 days after the intervention end)

• Change in attitude about healthy snacking

  The outcome will be measured at the baseline (before start intervention), posttest (1-7 days after the intervention end),

• Change in self-efficacy concerning healthy snacking

  The outcome will be measured at the baseline (before start intervention), posttest (1-7 days after the intervention end)

• Change in knowledge about snacks

  The outcome will be measured at the baseline (before start intervention), posttest (1-7 days after the intervention end)

Study Arms (2)

The REWARD serious game intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

A mobile 4-week serious game intervention will be administered.

Behavioral: The REWARD serious game intervention

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

School curriculum as usual

Interventions

The REWARD serious game intervention BEHAVIORAL

The REWARD intervention is based on the dual process model incorporating strategies to influence both the automatic pathway (i.e., operant learning theory) and the conscious pathway (i.e., a focus on certain determinants). The central idea of the intervention will be that participants will earn credits in the game when scanning healthy (rather than unhealthy) snacks which will influence the advancement of the players in the game. This credit system will be related to the dietary quality index of the consumed snacks.

Also known as: REWARD

The REWARD serious game intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 16 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Adolescents attending 3th and 4th grade of secondary school in Belgium (14- to 16- year olds)
• Adolescents understanding Dutch.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Ghent: lead
• Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie: collaborator
• KU Leuven: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Ghent University-Public Health Department

Ghent, East-Flanders, 9000, Belgium

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Van Lippevelde W, Vangeel J, De Cock N, Lachat C, Goossens L, Beullens K, Vervoort L, Braet C, Maes L, Eggermont S, Deforche B, Van Camp J. Using a gamified monitoring app to change adolescents' snack intake: the development of the REWARD app and evaluation design. BMC Public Health. 2016 Aug 5;16:725. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3286-4.

  PMID: 27494932 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Benedicte Deforche, PhD

  Ghent University - Department of Public Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 16, 2015
• First Posted: December 4, 2015
• Study Start: January 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2016
• Study Completion: May 1, 2016
• Last Updated: May 26, 2016

Record last verified: 2016-05

Locations

BE (1)