Digital Nutrition Intervention for Older Adults

NCT05220631 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 20-21-2411R01NR020303-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 369
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The "digital divide" or gap in technological access and knowledge, for older adults has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to disruptions in services like congregate meal programs funded by the Older Americans Act. Seven San Antonio congregate meal sites remained partially open biweekly to distribute meals but no longer offer in-person nutrition education, physical activity classes, and social activities. The proposed project will test the efficacy of digital nutrition intervention with at-risk older adults who attend congregate meal center in areas of high poverty and digital exclusion. The study is uses a stepped-wedge cluster clinical trial. Key community partners with the Department of Health Services Senior Services Division and Older Adult Technology Services (OATS) will participate in the planning phase, research design, and implementation of the study. The study aims are:

1. 1.To test the impact of a technology-based intervention on the primary outcomes of food security and diet quality;
2. 2.To determine the effect of the intervention on secondary outcomes of technology knowledge and usage, physical activity, and social isolation and loneliness;
3. 3.To examine the long-term impact and sustainability of technology use on food security, diet quality, physical activity, and social isolation.

Conditions

Nutrition Poor; Physical Inactivity; Social Isolation

Keywords

Technology; Older adult; Nutrition; Food security; Physical activity; Social isolation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Diet Quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index

  Two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls will be collected and the Healthy Index will be calculated to determine diet quality.

  Change in diet quality from baseline to 3 and 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Food Security

  Change in food security from baseline to 3 and 6 months

• Physical Activity

  Change in physical activity from baseline to 3 and 6 months

• Technology Use and Access

  Change in technology use and access from baseline to 3 and 6 months

• Attitudes Towards Technology

  Change in attitudes towards technology from baseline to 3 and 6 months

• Social Isolation

  Change in social isolation from baseline to 3 and 6 months

Study Arms (2)

Cohort 1

EXPERIMENTAL

Cohort 1 will start the intervention directly after randomization.

Behavioral: Technology intervention; Behavioral: Digital Nutrition Intervention

Cohort 2

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Cohort 2 will serve as the control while cohort 1 is in the intervention stage. Cohort 2 will start the intervention after cohort 1 concludes the intervention.

Behavioral: Technology intervention; Behavioral: Digital Nutrition Intervention

Interventions

Technology intervention BEHAVIORAL

Older Adult Technology Services (OATS) 5-week technology intervention

Cohort 1; Cohort 2

Digital Nutrition Intervention BEHAVIORAL

15-week nutrition intervention delivered completely online

Cohort 1; Cohort 2

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years - 120 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years of age
• Inadequate or no working technology device (computer, smart-phone, tablet), no or poor internet connectivity at home, or lack of knowledge and usage of technology
• Food insecurity or low diet quality

You may not qualify if:

• Blind
• Terminal disease or illness
• Diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• Unable to read or write in English or Spanish

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Texas at San Antonio: lead
• Older Adult Technology Services: collaborator
• National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR): collaborator
• City of San Antonio Department of Human Services: collaborator
• Agile Analytics, LLC: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas, 78249, United States

Location

Related Publications (48)

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Related Links

• Status of Poverty in San Antonio 2019
• Food Insecurity Among Older Adults
• Evaluation of the Effect of the Older Americans Act Title III-C Nutrition Services Program on Participants' Food Security, Socialization, and Diet Quality
• 7 Facts about Older Adults and SNAP. National Council on Aging.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Malnutrition; Sedentary Behavior; Social Isolation; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Behavior; Social Behavior

Study Officials

• Sarah L Ullevig, PhD

  University of Texas at San Antonio

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: This intervention will use a closed-cohort stepped wedge design. In a stepped wedge design, the timing of the intervention is randomized by cluster, with sequential crossover of clusters from control to intervention until all clusters have received the intervention. With this design, each cluster contributes data when they are participating in the intervention and when they are not. This study will be a two-step stepped wedge design; each of the seven targeted centers will then be randomly assigned to one of two cohorts. Participants in Cohort 1 will receive the intervention first. Six months after baseline data have been collected, Cohort 1 participants will finish the intervention and crossover will occur as Cohort 2 participants begin the intervention. At the 12-month time point, the second cohort will complete the intervention. Data will be collected for both groups in each time period T0-T3.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 19, 2022
• First Posted: February 2, 2022
• Study Start: June 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2024
• Study Completion: January 30, 2026
• Last Updated: December 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: Data will become available after primary and secondary outcome measures has been analyzed and published.
• Access Criteria: Data will be made available for research educational purposes.

Locations

US (1)