Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study
Abstract Objective To develop and evaluate the feasibility of a mobile application in Swiss households and assess its impact on dietary behavior and food acceptability between children who cooked with limited parental support (intervention group) with children who were not involved in cooking (contr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Discover Social Science and Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-023-00042-4 |
| _version_ | 1797811299083616256 |
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| author | Joyce Haddad Maria F. Vasiloglou Franziska Scheidegger-Balmer Ulrich Fiedler Klazine van der Horst |
| author_facet | Joyce Haddad Maria F. Vasiloglou Franziska Scheidegger-Balmer Ulrich Fiedler Klazine van der Horst |
| author_sort | Joyce Haddad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Objective To develop and evaluate the feasibility of a mobile application in Swiss households and assess its impact on dietary behavior and food acceptability between children who cooked with limited parental support (intervention group) with children who were not involved in cooking (control group). Methods A ten-week randomized controlled trial was conducted online in 2020. Parents were given access to a mobile-app with ten recipes. Each recipe emphasized one of two generally disliked foods (Brussels sprouts or whole-meal pasta). Parents photographed and weighed the food components from the child’s plate and reported whether their child liked the meal and target food. The main outcome measures were target food intake and acceptability analyzed through descriptive analysis for pre-post changes. Results Of 24 parents who completed the baseline questionnaires, 18 parents and their children (median age: 8 years) completed the evaluation phase. Mean child baseline Brussel sprouts and whole-meal pasta intakes were 19.0 ± 24.2 g and 86.0 ± 69.7 g per meal, respectively. No meaningful differences in intake were found post-intervention or between groups. More children reported a neutral or positive liking towards the whole-meal pasta in the intervention group compared to those in the control group. No change was found for liking of Brussel sprouts. Conclusions for practice The intervention was found to be feasible however more studies on larger samples are needed to validate feasibility. Integrating digital interventions in the home and promoting meal preparation may improve child reported acceptance of some healthy foods. Using such technology may save time for parents and engage families in consuming healthier meals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:21:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d4b7b43464434a57b48208ad0dfce9b6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2731-0469 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:21:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Social Science and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-d4b7b43464434a57b48208ad0dfce9b62023-06-04T11:38:58ZengSpringerDiscover Social Science and Health2731-04692023-06-013111410.1007/s44155-023-00042-4Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility studyJoyce Haddad0Maria F. Vasiloglou1Franziska Scheidegger-Balmer2Ulrich Fiedler3Klazine van der Horst4Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Nutrition and DieteticsAI in Health and Nutrition Laboratory, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of BernBern University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Nutrition and DieteticsInstitute ICE, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Bern University of Applied SciencesBern University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Professions, Nutrition and DieteticsAbstract Objective To develop and evaluate the feasibility of a mobile application in Swiss households and assess its impact on dietary behavior and food acceptability between children who cooked with limited parental support (intervention group) with children who were not involved in cooking (control group). Methods A ten-week randomized controlled trial was conducted online in 2020. Parents were given access to a mobile-app with ten recipes. Each recipe emphasized one of two generally disliked foods (Brussels sprouts or whole-meal pasta). Parents photographed and weighed the food components from the child’s plate and reported whether their child liked the meal and target food. The main outcome measures were target food intake and acceptability analyzed through descriptive analysis for pre-post changes. Results Of 24 parents who completed the baseline questionnaires, 18 parents and their children (median age: 8 years) completed the evaluation phase. Mean child baseline Brussel sprouts and whole-meal pasta intakes were 19.0 ± 24.2 g and 86.0 ± 69.7 g per meal, respectively. No meaningful differences in intake were found post-intervention or between groups. More children reported a neutral or positive liking towards the whole-meal pasta in the intervention group compared to those in the control group. No change was found for liking of Brussel sprouts. Conclusions for practice The intervention was found to be feasible however more studies on larger samples are needed to validate feasibility. Integrating digital interventions in the home and promoting meal preparation may improve child reported acceptance of some healthy foods. Using such technology may save time for parents and engage families in consuming healthier meals.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-023-00042-4Food acceptanceLikingChildrenCookingMeal preparationVegetable intake |
| spellingShingle | Joyce Haddad Maria F. Vasiloglou Franziska Scheidegger-Balmer Ulrich Fiedler Klazine van der Horst Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study Discover Social Science and Health Food acceptance Liking Children Cooking Meal preparation Vegetable intake |
| title | Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study |
| title_full | Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study |
| title_fullStr | Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study |
| title_short | Home-based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7–9 years: a feasibility study |
| title_sort | home based cooking intervention with a smartphone app to improve eating behaviors in children aged 7 9 years a feasibility study |
| topic | Food acceptance Liking Children Cooking Meal preparation Vegetable intake |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44155-023-00042-4 |
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