Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 3, 2025

Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq

Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq

Published on: March 19, 2021

Tailored smartphone intervention to promote healthy eating among Brazilian adolescents: a randomised controlled trial

Giselle Rhaisa Melo¹, Stefany Correa Lima², Carolina M Dos Santos Chagas^2,3

¹NESNUT- Department of Nutrition, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil giselle-melo1502@hotmail.com.

|October 29, 2020

Abstract

Introduction:

Adolescent eating patterns are characterised by high consumption of unhealthy foods, which has resulted in an increasing prevalence of overweight and chronic diseases. It is crucial to promote healthy eating habits, and nutritional interventions based on the transtheoretical model have been found to be especially effective. Mobile health strategies also seem promising for adolescents. This study aims to outline a smartphone intervention via WhatsApp for adolescents to promote healthy eating consumption, better nutritional knowledge, self-efficacy in the adoption of healthy practices and progress through the stages of change.

Methods And Analysis:

There will be three distinct groups in this randomised study: a general intervention group (GG), in which the participants will receive the same healthy eating messages, based on the Brazilian food guide; a tailored intervention group (TG), in which the participants will receive healthy eating messages based on their stage of change; and a control group (CG), in which participants will receive messages on a different theme. Possession of a smartphone, use of WhatsApp and being a senior student (16-19 years) from a public school of the Federal District of Brazil will be the study's inclusion criteria. Rural schools will be excluded. The sample size estimated is 390 individuals: 38 in the GG, 314 in the TG and 38 in the CG. The intervention will last 6 weeks, with a daily message sent to the students. We will investigate nutritional knowledge, self-efficacy in the adoption of healthy eating practices, food consumption and stages of change using preintervention and postintervention questionnaires. Memorisation of the messages will be also assessed.

Ethics And Dissemination:

The study was approved by the University of Brasília, School of Health Sciences and Research Ethics Committee. At the end of the study, the participating schools will receive a printed report with the main results of the intervention.

Trial Registration Number:

RBR-5b9jk7.

Keywords:

adolescent food and nutrition education mobile health

More Related Videos

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Published on: July 29, 2020

'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake

'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake

Published on: September 18, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Community Based Intervention

Community Based Intervention

Community-based interventions in mental health represent a paradigm shift from institution-centered care to treatments embedded within the fabric of local communities. By prioritizing inclusion and leveraging existing societal structures, this approach fosters a supportive environment conducive to addressing mental health challenges while promoting individual dignity and agency.
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...

Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients

Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients

Bioavailability studies are essential for evaluating a drug's therapeutic efficacy and understanding its absorption patterns under various physiological conditions. Conducting such studies on target patient populations provides more relevant data by simulating real-world disease states. However, practical challenges often necessitate the use of young, healthy adult volunteers as study subjects.Patients may exhibit altered drug absorption patterns due to the effects of the disease itself,...

Regulation of Food Intake

Regulation of Food Intake

Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II

The person's health status fluctuates continually, varying from being in good health to becoming ill and returning to being healthy. To understand the concept of illness prevention, there are two models. First, the health-illness continuum model is a graphic representation of an individual's wellness. It states that a person is considered healthy in the absence of physical disease and the presence of good emotional health.
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...

Study Designs in Epidemiology

Study Designs in Epidemiology

Epidemiological study designs are fundamental tools for investigating the distribution, determinants, and control of health conditions in populations. They help researchers understand the relationships between exposures and outcomes, and they broadly fall into two categories: "observational" and "experimental" studies.
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and...

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I

Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention I

A model is a theoretical way to understand a concept or an idea. Models can overcome barriers to health regardless of diverse economic and cultural backgrounds. In addition, models make the task easier by providing different ways to approach complex issues. There are two major health promotion models: the health belief model and the health promotion model.
The health belief model (HBM) attempts to predict health-related behavior in specific belief patterns. According to the HBM, a person's...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

What Is There to Buy? An Analysis of the Food Environment in Public and Private Schools in the Federal District.

International journal of environmental research and public health·2025

Guidelines and Preliminary Results of Group-Based Nutrition Interventions for Obesity Management Among Adults in Brazilian Primary Health Care.

International journal of environmental research and public health·2025

Consumption patterns and eating behaviors of schoolchildren associated with mental health problems: a Brazilian nationwide study.

PloS one·2025

Qualitative methodological pathway for developing the Instructive for the Obesity Management in the SUS, 2018-2020.

Epidemiologia e servicos de saude : revista do Sistema Unico de Saude do Brasil·2025

Comparison of scenarios in the trajectory of body mass index among adolescents monitored in primary health care: the VigiNUTRI Brazil study.

Scientific reports·2025

Regular Family Meals Associated with Nutritional Status, Food Consumption, and Sedentary and Eating Behaviors of Brazilian Schoolchildren and Their Caregivers.

Foods (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

See all related articles