Using an AI Mobile Application to Promote Healthy Eating

NCT07108452 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 230877425ISA1474935
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 114
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this feasibility study is to determine the adherence, acceptability, and usability of the behavioral intervention of a mobile AI application and its effects on food choices and diet quality. A secondary goal is to assess whether the app's accuracy or feasibility differs by food security status. Study participants are UC Davis students aged 18-24 years. The main question it aims to answer is: \- Does the gamified app version that delivers behavioral nudges have a higher adherence and acceptability rate, and does this translate to better dietary behaviors? Participants will use either the intervention app (dietary assessment + gamification) or the control app (non-gamified, dietary assessment only) for six weeks to record all their food intake. Diet quality will be assessed at baseline and endline, and a Likert scale acceptability questionnaire will be administered at endline.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

artificial intelligence; Implementation science; college students; food security; diet quality

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• App acceptability by version assigned to participants

  Acceptability will be assessed using a structured questionnaire based on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) administered at the end of the study period.

  Measured at endline: at the end of the 6 week period

• App's usability by version assigned to participants

  Focus group discussions will be conducted with a select group of participants to assess usability (i.e. facilitators and barriers to app usage) at the end of the study period.

  Measured at endline: at the end of the 6 week period

• App adherence rates by version assigned to participants

  App usage adherence will be evaluated based on analytics data, with a 70% usage threshold defined for both the midline and endline assessments.

  Assessed at midline (3 weeks) and endline (6 weeks)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Diet quality assessment by app version, measured using Healthy Eating Index scores at baseline and endline.

  From enrollment till study completion at 6 weeks

• App usability by food security status assessed using the USDA 10-item food security survey module

  Food security assessed at baseline

• App acceptability by food security status assessed using the USDA 10-item food security survey module

  Food security assessed at baseline

• App adherence rates by food security status assessed using the USDA 10-item food security survey module

  Food security assessed at baseline

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group- Gamified app version; dietary assessment + gamification

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be randomly assigned at enrollment to the intervention group, which will receive a gamified app that delivers behavioral nudges and provides a daily report of caloric and nutrient intake.

Other: A mobile application that uses AI to deliver behavioral nudges that encourage healthy food choices.

Control group- Limited app version, dietary assessment only

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will be randomized at enrollment to the control group, which will receive a "limited" app version that only provides a daily report of caloric and nutrient intake, without delivering behavioral nudges.

Other: Limited app version for dietary assessment only

Interventions

A mobile application that uses AI to deliver behavioral nudges that encourage healthy food choices. OTHER

As a mobile application for assessing dietary intake, the app provides a daily report of food intake- a core function that both the gamified and limited app versions have. The gamified version has the added functionality of delivering behavioral nudges that encourage healthy food selections.

Intervention group- Gamified app version; dietary assessment + gamification

Limited app version for dietary assessment only OTHER

This app version provides a daily report of energy and nutrient intake- available to those randomized to the control group

Control group- Limited app version, dietary assessment only

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Willing to use their smartphones with app to record all foods consumed
• UC Davis student

You may not qualify if:

• eating disorders
• Participant in the validation study that tested the app's accuracy against weighed food records

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Davis: lead
• International Food Policy Research Institute: collaborator
• Penn State University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of California, Davis - Department of Nutrition

Davis, California, 95616, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Lauren E Au, PhD, RDN

  University of California, Davis

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Christabel A Domfe, MS

CONTACT

530-752-4630; cadomfe@ucdavis.edu

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 8, 2025
• First Posted: August 7, 2025
• Study Start (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: April 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)