Design and Implementation of a Mobile App for Promoting Healthy and Sustainable Eating Among Students at the University of Parma (MAPHealthS)

University of Parma

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Dietary Fibers; Environmental Impact; Eating Habits

Treatments: Behavioral: Digital Nutrition Education Mobile App for Healthy and Sustainable Eating

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06977802

UNIPLATE

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile app (MAPHealthS) in promoting healthy and sustainable eating habits among university students at the University of Parma. The study aims to answer the following questions:

Does the use of the educational mobile app increase daily fiber intake among students?

Does the app improve adherence to sustainable and healthy diets (e.g., Mediterranean and Planetary diets)?

What are the effects of the app on physical activity levels, anthropometric measures, and the environmental impact of participants' diets?

Researchers will compare the intervention group (using the app) to a control group (no intervention) over a 12-week period, including a 6-week active phase and a 6-week follow-up phase.

Participants will:

Download and use the app (intervention group) or follow no intervention (control group) for 12 weeks.

Complete dietary assessments (24-hour recalls, food frequency questionnaires), provide urine and fecal samples, and undergo anthropometric measurements at multiple time points.

Wear actigraphs (a subgroup) to measure energy expenditure.

Answer questionnaires on dietary habits, physical activity, and app usability.

The study expects to see a significant increase in fiber intake (7g/day) and improved sustainability awareness among app users.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

University students (undergraduate/graduate) at the University of Parma Age 18-29 years Italian nationality and residence in Italy Baseline fiber intake <17.7g/day (below Italian average) Ownership of an iOS/Android smartphone with internet access No current use of nutrition/health tracking apps

No self-reported:

• Chronic diseases (diabetes, metabolic disorders)
• Eating disorders
• Use of medications for hypertension/dyslipidemia
• No antibiotic/probiotic use in past 4 weeks
• Not following prescribed diets or meal plans
• Not pregnant/lactating Signed informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Not University students (undergraduate/graduate) at the University of Parma Not Aged 18-29 years Not Italian nationality and residence in Italy Baseline fiber intake >17.7g/day (over Italian average) Not ownership of an iOS/Android smartphone with internet access Current use of nutrition/health tracking apps

Self-reported:

• Chronic diseases (diabetes, metabolic disorders)
• Eating disorders
• Use of medications for hypertension/dyslipidemia
• Antibiotic/probiotic use in past 4 weeks
• Following prescribed diets or meal plans
• Pregnant/lactating

Not signed informed consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention: Participants use the UNIPLATE mobile app, a tailored educational tool designed to promote healthy and sustainable eating. Features: Daily nutrition/sustainability tips, meal planning, recipe suggestions (prioritizing plant-based foods), gamified challenges, and progress tracking. Delivery: 6-week active phase with daily app notifications, followed by 6-week follow-up (no notifications). Tailoring: Content adapts to baseline food-related psychobehavioral profiles (assessed via questionnaire). Support: Developed with input from nutritionists, psychologists, and computer scientists (University of Parma).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Digital Nutrition Education Mobile App for Healthy and Sustainable Eating

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Intervention: No app or active intervention; participants maintain habitual dietary behaviors. Monitoring: Completes identical assessments (dietary recalls, biomarkers, anthropometrics) as the intervention group.