Implementation and Evaluation of Nutrition Interventions

NCT06876272 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 22222
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 653
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 4

Brief Summary

This project aims to implement and evaluate two multi-component dietary interventions focused on promoting healthy and sustainable eating behaviors and preventing weight gain among Flemish higher education students. These interventions will take place over a period of eight weeks and are specifically designed to support healthy lifestyle choices during the transition from secondary school to higher education, a critical period where unhealthy eating behaviors and weight gain are common. The interventions will be conducted at a university and a college, utilizing nudges in student restaurants, social media campaigns via Instagram, and workshops to encourage healthy and sustainable eating habits. Effectiveness will be measured using questionnaires administered at three points in time: before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention (post-intervention), and five months later (follow-up). Two other campuses will serve as a control group to compare results. In addition to assessing effectiveness, a process evaluation will also be conducted. This will involve focus groups with students and stakeholders, as well as a process questionnaire, to gain insights into the implementation of the interventions and the experiences of those involved. If the interventions prove successful, they may be scaled up to other Flemish institutions as part of a broader strategy for cancer prevention.

Conditions

Healthy Participants; Nutrition Intervention; Higher Education Students

Keywords

Nutrition interventions; Healthy eating; Higher education students; Process evaluation; Effect evaluation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (10)

• Nutrition behaviour

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated a modified version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), adapted from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey for high school students. The FFQ evaluates dietary intake by measuring the consumption of both healthy foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits) and unhealthy foods (e.g., sugary drinks, fast food). Responses were recorded on an ordinal frequency scale, ranging from "never" to "more than three times per day."

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Attitude

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section incorporated adapted questions from the REWARD study, as well as the EAT 2 and EAT 3 surveys. Attitudes toward healthy eating were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Nutrition knowledge

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section incorporated questions from the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) and study-specific questions related to the intervention (e.g., daily water intake recommendations). Nutrition knowledge was evaluated through multiple-choice questions.

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Self-efficacy

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporates adapted items from the REWARD study. Participants rated their confidence in making healthy and sustainable food choices using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "very difficult" to "very easy."

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Perceived food environment

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated questions adapted to students' contexts from the Perceived Food Environment Questionnaire. Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Intention

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated a question derived from the Transtheoretical Model to assess participants' intention, based on their readiness to change their eating habits.

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Barriers

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated adapted questions from the REWARD study to assess perceived barriers to eating healthy and sustainable. Responses were recorded on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Coocking skills

  Measured using an online questionnaire developed specifically for this study. This section included the food literacy behaviours tool from Begley to assess participants' cooking skills. Responses were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "never" to "always".

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Weight (in kg)

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study.

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

• Lenght (in cm)

  Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study.

  3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Fidelity

  10 weeks after baseline

• Dose delivered

  10 weeks after baseline

• Dose received

  10 weeks after baseline

• Reach

  10 weeks after baseline

• Recruitment

  10 weeks after baseline

Study Arms (2)

Nutrition intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

This arm involves a multi-component intervention designed to promote healthy eating behaviors and prevent weight gain among higher education students. The intervention includes the following components: Social Media Campaign: A series of targeted posts, stories, polls and video's across Instagram aimed at raising awareness of healthy eating habits and the importance of maintaining a balanced diet. Nudges: Behavioral cues placed in strategic locations, such as the student cafeteria, to encourage healthier food choices. These nudges aim to subtly influence students' eating behavior without restricting their freedom of choice. Workshops: Interactive workshops that provide students with practical tools and knowledge to make healthier dietary choices, understand nutrition labels, and adopt healthy eating habits.

Behavioral: Healthy eating promoting programme

Control

NO INTERVENTION

This group receives no intervention.

Interventions

Healthy eating promoting programme BEHAVIORAL

It is a comprehensive, multi-component intervention tailored specifically for higher education students. Unlike many traditional health programs, this intervention uniquely combines the use of social media campaigns, behavioral nudges in student cafeterias, and interactive boost workshops.

Nutrition intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Higher education students:
• Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for par-ticipation in the study;
• Male, female or X, aged 18-24 years;
• Healthy higher education students from institution X or campus Y.
• Adopters and implementers:
• Persons who are involved in the design, implementation, daily operations or management of the nutrition intervention.
• Persons who have knowledge of the specific goals of the nutrition intervention.

You may not qualify if:

• Higher education students:
• Students who speak insufficient Dutch;
• Students who are less than 18 years old.
• Adopters and implementers:
• Persons who speak insufficient Dutch.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel: lead
• University Ghent: collaborator
• Stichting tegen Kanker: collaborator
• Vlaams Instituut Gezond Leven VZW: collaborator

Study Sites (4)

University of Antwerp - Stadscampus

Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2000, Belgium

RECRUITING

University of Antwerp - Campus Drie Eiken

Antwerp, Antwerpen, 2610, Belgium

RECRUITING

University college Leuven-Limburg: Campus Diepenbeek

Diepenbeek, Limburg, 3590, Belgium

RECRUITING

University College Leuven-Limburg: Campus Proximus

Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, 3000, Belgium

RECRUITING

Related Publications (11)

• Saunders RP, Evans MH, Joshi P. Developing a process-evaluation plan for assessing health promotion program implementation: a how-to guide. Health Promot Pract. 2005 Apr;6(2):134-47. doi: 10.1177/1524839904273387.

  PMID: 15855283 BACKGROUND

• Prochaska JO, Velicer WF. The transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Am J Health Promot. 1997 Sep-Oct;12(1):38-48. doi: 10.4278/0890-1171-12.1.38.

  PMID: 10170434 BACKGROUND

• Carbonneau E, Robitaille J, Lamarche B, Corneau L, Lemieux S. Development and validation of the Perceived Food Environment Questionnaire in a French-Canadian population. Public Health Nutr. 2017 Aug;20(11):1914-1920. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017000581. Epub 2017 Apr 3.

  PMID: 28367784 BACKGROUND

• Parmenter K, Wardle J. Development of a general nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Apr;53(4):298-308. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600726.

  PMID: 10334656 BACKGROUND

• Robinson-O'Brien R, Larson N, Neumark-Sztainer D, Hannan P, Story M. Characteristics and dietary patterns of adolescents who value eating locally grown, organic, nongenetically engineered, and nonprocessed food. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2009 Jan-Feb;41(1):11-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2008.03.007.

  PMID: 19161915 BACKGROUND

• Inchley J, Currie D, Samdal O, Jåstad A, Cosma A & Nic Gabhainn S, editors. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study Protocol: background, methodology and mandatory items for the 2021/22 survey. Glasgow: MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow; 2023

  BACKGROUND

• De Cock N, Van Lippevelde W, Goossens L, De Clercq B, Vangeel J, Lachat C, Beullens K, Huybregts L, Vervoort L, Eggermont S, Maes L, Braet C, Deforche B, Kolsteren P, Van Camp J. Sensitivity to reward and adolescents' unhealthy snacking and drinking behavior: the role of hedonic eating styles and availability. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2016 Feb 9;13:17. doi: 10.1186/s12966-016-0341-6.

  PMID: 26861539 BACKGROUND

• Deliens T, Verhoeven H, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Huybrechts I, Mullie P, Clarys P, Deforche B. Factors associated with fruit and vegetable and total fat intake in university students: A cross-sectional explanatory study. Nutr Diet. 2018 Apr;75(2):151-158. doi: 10.1111/1747-0080.12399. Epub 2018 Jan 4.

  PMID: 29314564 BACKGROUND

• Deliens T, Van Crombruggen R, Verbruggen S, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Deforche B, Clarys P. Dietary interventions among university students: A systematic review. Appetite. 2016 Oct 1;105:14-26. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.05.003. Epub 2016 May 13.

  PMID: 27181201 BACKGROUND

• Deliens T, Clarys P, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Deforche B. Correlates of University Students' Soft and Energy Drink Consumption According to Gender and Residency. Nutrients. 2015 Aug 6;7(8):6550-66. doi: 10.3390/nu7085298.

  PMID: 26258790 BACKGROUND

• Deliens T, Clarys P, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Deforche B. Determinants of eating behaviour in university students: a qualitative study using focus group discussions. BMC Public Health. 2014 Jan 18;14:53. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-53.

  PMID: 24438555 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Tom Deliens

  Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Wendy Van Lippevelde

  University Ghent

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Maxine Vanhove

CONTACT

+32 471330330; maxine.vanhove@vub.be

Tom Deliens

CONTACT

+32 472867516; Tom.deliens@vub.be

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Scientific collaborator

Model Details: This study employs a non-randomized controlled trial with pre-, post-, and follow-up measurements.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 5, 2024
• First Posted: March 14, 2025
• Study Start: February 17, 2025
• Primary Completion: February 17, 2025
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: April 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BE (4)