Parents' mHealth App for Promoting Healthy Eating Behaviors in Children: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Digital health
• Nutrition science
• Pediatric health

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) apps are increasingly used to improve dietary behaviors and health outcomes.
• Few mHealth interventions specifically target parents to influence children's nutrition.
• Parents are crucial in shaping children's eating habits, yet parental-focused interventions are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of the PersuHabit app, a mobile health tool for parents.
• To promote increased fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and reduced ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption in children aged 6-10 years.
• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the PersuHabit app through a pilot study.

Main Methods:

• Development of the PersuHabit mobile health application.
• Conducting an exploratory pilot study involving parents of children aged 6-10 years.
• Assessing app feasibility, user acceptability, and preliminary impact on children's dietary patterns.

Main Results:

• The PersuHabit app was developed as a stand-alone intervention targeting parents.
• The pilot study provided insights into the app's feasibility and acceptability among the target users.
• Preliminary data suggests potential effects on children's FV and UPF intake, warranting further investigation.

Conclusions:

• The PersuHabit app represents a novel approach to improving pediatric nutrition through parental engagement.
• The pilot study demonstrated the potential of mHealth interventions in addressing childhood dietary behaviors.
• Further research and app refinement are recommended to optimize its effectiveness in promoting healthy eating habits.