Piloting a Web-based Personalised Nutrition App (eNutri) with UK University Students

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF READING · Sep 13, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

A minimum of 50 participants will be recruited from the University of Reading and University of Hertfordshire and will be asked to complete the eNutri food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at pre-baseline (week -4) to capture their non-term time diet. 4 weeks later, the participants will be asked to repeat the questionnaire to capture their usual term time diet. At this time point, participants will be randomly allocated by eNutri to either the personalised nutrition (PN) intervention or control group:

* PN intervention group: participants will receive web-based delivery of the eNutri PN advi...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Solely responsible for their own meal preparation and/or food purchases (includes catered and non-catered students)
• • Studying at the University of Reading or University of Hertfordshire, UK
• • Student in any year of study
• • 18 years or older
• • Able to read and understand written English without difficulties
• • Able to access eNutri using a suitable device (laptop, computer, tablet, or smartphone) with access to the internet
• • Have an active email address
• • Willing to complete online questionnaires and interact with eNutri on multiple occasions
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Students who are not studying full time in-person at university in the academic year 2022-2023 (e.g., part-time students, apprenticeship students or those on a work placement)
• • Students whose food choices are in part influenced/determined by others (e.g., students who live with parents, partner, or children during term time, including those who return home every weekend)
• • Those reliant on meals where there is limited choice/alternative options (e.g., Recipe boxes such as Gousto, Hello Fresh and Mindful Chef, or those who eat frozen meals brought from home); catered students can take part.
• • Pregnant, lactating or planning a pregnancy within the next 4 months
• • Food allergies to dairy, nuts/seeds and/or fish/shellfish
• • Medical conditions/treatments that have a considerable impact on an individual's diet/appetite on a day-to-day basis (e.g., severe gastrointestinal disorders)
• • Have a current or previously diagnosed eating disorder
• • Usually eat on fewer than 2 occasions per day
• • Receiving dietary advice from a dietitian, nutritionist or medical professional or plan to do so within the next 4 months
• • Following a restrictive diet, such as a vegan diet, sport's nutrition diet, meal replacement shake/juice diet (e.g., SlimFast), intermittent fasting diet (e.g,. 5:2), very low carbohydrate diet (e.g., keto, Atkins) or any "fad"/"celebrity" diet, or plan to do so within the next 4 months; vegetarians can take part.
• • Following a weight-loss programme, such as Weight Watchers, Noom, LighterLife and Slimming World, or plan to do so within the next 3 months; those aiming to lose weight through general healthy eating and "cutting down" without following specialised weight loss advice can take part.
• • Taking weight-loss medication (prescribed or over the counter) or plan to do so within the next 3 months.
• • Visual and/or physical impairments that prevent an individual from interacting with visual elements on the screen on their device/using their device, such as clicking buttons/mouse or using the touch pad or viewing images.
• • Taking part in another nutrition-related research study.