mHealth Improved Fruit and Vegetable Accessibility and Intake in Young Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric nutrition
• Mobile health interventions
• Public health

Background:

• Childhood obesity and poor dietary habits are significant public health concerns.
• Low fruit and vegetable consumption is prevalent in young children.
• Innovative approaches are needed to promote healthy eating habits in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention in improving fruit and vegetable intake among children aged 3-8 years.
• To assess the feasibility of using smartphones, a mobile website, social media, and text messages for nutrition education.
• To evaluate changes in children's and parents' fruit and vegetable consumption and related biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• A 10-week randomized controlled pilot study involving 30 parent-child dyads.
• Intervention group received nutrition education via the Jump2Health mobile website, Facebook, and text messages.
• Outcomes measured included electronic food records, surveys, Veggie Meter for skin carotenoid levels, BMI percentiles, and mobile learning surveys.

Main Results:

• Significant week × treatment interactions were observed in Veggie Meter values for both children and parents in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < .001).
• The mHealth intervention demonstrated a positive impact on biomarkers related to fruit and vegetable intake.
• The study successfully delivered a multi-component nutrition intervention through digital platforms.

Conclusions:

• This pilot study suggests that an mHealth program incorporating a mobile website, social media, and text messages is a potentially effective strategy to increase fruit and vegetable intake in young children.
• Digital health interventions show promise for promoting healthy eating behaviors in pediatric populations.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm these findings and explore long-term effects.