Mobile Apps for Child Nutrition and Wellness

(MAPP Trial)

Overseen By Madeline Brown, MPH

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Pamela Hull

Disqualifiers: No mobile device, No internet access, Others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

1200 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the Beanstalk and CHEW mobile apps as a treatment for child nutrition and wellness?

The CHEW app was developed to support nutrition education for families in the WIC program, which has been shown to improve dietary quality among low-income children. Additionally, research suggests that nutrition-related apps can improve eating behaviors and adherence to dietary guidelines, indicating potential benefits for child nutrition and wellness. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Beanstalk or CHEW mobile app safe for children?

The available research does not provide specific safety data for the Beanstalk or CHEW mobile apps, but they are designed to support nutrition education and healthy eating habits in children, which suggests they are generally safe for use. ^{2 3 6 7 8}

How is the Beanstalk and CHEW mobile app treatment different from other child nutrition treatments?

The Beanstalk and CHEW mobile apps are unique because they are specifically designed for families in the WIC program to reinforce nutrition education and prevent childhood obesity, offering a home-based intervention in both English and Spanish. Unlike many other apps, they are tailored to the needs of low-income families and aim to improve dietary quality among preschool-aged children. ^{1 2 3 8 9}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of Mobile Apps for Preschool Parents (MAPP) Study is to test the effectiveness of two mobile applications for parents of preschool aged children: 1) an app focused on child and family nutrition and wellness, and 2) an app focused on parents reading to their children.

Research Team

Pamela C Hull, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Kentucky

Eligibility Criteria

The MAPP Study is for parents of preschool-aged children. It's designed to help those who want to improve their child's nutrition and wellness, as well as encourage reading habits. Parents must have a smartphone to use the apps.

Inclusion Criteria

I am the parent or guardian of a child aged 2-5 years.

Living in United States

Receives services at partner community organization (Organization Sample only)

Exclusion Criteria

Does not own iOS/Apple or Android mobile device (phone or tablet)

Does not have internet access for the mobile device (data plan on device or in-home WiFi)

Not able to successfully load and access the Intervention Arm or Attention Control Arm mobile app on the mobile device at the time of enrollment

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Parents/guardians use the respective mobile apps for an 8-week intervention period focusing on nutrition and wellness or reading to children.

8 weeks

App usage monitored remotely

Follow-up

Participants complete a Follow Up Survey after the 8-week intervention period to measure primary outcomes.

2 weeks

1 visit (virtual)

Extension

Participants have the option to download and use the other app, with app usage tracked for up to 20 weeks after study enrollment.

20 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Beanstalk mobile app
• Children Eating Well (CHEW) mobile app

Trial Overview This study tests two mobile apps: one that guides on family nutrition and wellness (CHEW), and another that encourages parents to read to their children (Beanstalk). The goal is to see if these apps can reduce sleep deprivation, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles in kids.

Participant Groups

Group I: Intervention Arm: Nutrition and wellness app Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The parents/guardians in this study arm will use the Children Eating Well (CHEW) mobile app focused on child and family nutrition and wellness for the first 8 weeks of the study. This app is designed to help parents/guardians of preschool-aged children to improve nutrition, physical activity, sleep, feeding children at mealtimes, and related wellness topics.

Group II: Attention Control Arm: Reading app Active Control 1 Intervention

The parents/guardians this study arm will use the Beanstack mobile app (or the Bookroo app, as an alternative) focused on parents reading to their children for the first 8 weeks of the study. This app may help parents/guardians to read more to their preschool children (and other children), which is good for child learning and development.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Pamela Hull

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2

Recruited

1,600+

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Collaborator

Trials

103

Recruited

287,000+

Findings from Research

The Poshan Didi chatbot was developed to provide personalized nutrition counseling to mothers of children aged 0-12 months, and it was piloted with 110 mothers in Katni district, showing high acceptability and engagement.

Eighty percent of users interacted with the chatbot, and 64% sought further assistance from healthcare workers, indicating that chatbots can effectively enhance communication and access to nutrition information for caregivers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using a Responsive Feedback Approach to Develop and Pilot a Counseling Chatbot to Strengthen Child Nutrition in Rural India. Tomar, N., Srikrishnan, S., Lesh, N., et al.[2023]

The CHEW smartphone app was beta-tested with 63 mothers of WIC-participating preschool children, showing moderate usage and high usability, particularly for its shopping tools and nutrition education features.

Feedback indicated that while the app was generally well-received, there were barriers to usage among some participants, suggesting the need for enhancements in shopping tools and nutrition content to improve engagement and effectiveness in preventing childhood obesity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Smartphone App for Families With Preschool-Aged Children in a Public Nutrition Program: Prototype Development and Beta-Testing. Hull, P., Emerson, JS., Quirk, ME., et al.[2021]

A review of 370 smartphone apps for child nutrition identified 33 that qualified for analysis, revealing that many lack updated information and do not cite their sources, which raises concerns about the reliability of the guidance provided to parents.

Only a small number of apps offer expert consultations or specific nutrient requirements, indicating a lack of uniform guidelines in the development of these applications, which could affect their effectiveness in supporting child nutrition.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comprehensive overview of smartphone applications delivering child nutrition information. Srivastava, R., Kushwaha, S., Khanna, P., et al.[2022]

The eNutri app significantly improved diet quality in UK adults over a 12-week period, with an average increase of 3.5 points on the modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index (m-AHEI), compared to a control group following general dietary guidelines.

Participants using the eNutri app reported lasting engagement with healthy eating behaviors, with 64% still following some of the personalized advice months after the intervention ended.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of Web-Based Personalized Nutrition Advice for Adults Using the eNutri Web App: Evidence From the EatWellUK Randomized Controlled Trial. Zenun Franco, R., Fallaize, R., Weech, M., et al.[2022]

The development of a user-centered therapy prescription app for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities involved an iterative process that incorporated user feedback, behavior change techniques, and gamified design to enhance engagement.

User testing with children showed high enthusiasm for the app, achieving an average engagement score of 4.5 out of 5, indicating that the app effectively meets the needs of its target audience while promoting adherence to therapy programs.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Intervention Mapping of a Gamified Therapy Prescription App for Children With Disabilities: User-Centered Design Approach. Johnson, RW., White, BK., Gucciardi, DF., et al.[2022]

The 'Snackability' app, designed to help youth choose healthy snacks based on USDA guidelines, showed good feasibility and usability in pilot tests with college students, achieving over 50% satisfaction rates.

Feedback from initial users led to significant improvements in the app, including features like a scoring system for snack healthiness and options for tracking consumption, indicating that user input is crucial for app development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development and Pilot Testing of the Snackability Smartphone Application to Identify Healthy and Unhealthy Snacks. Prapkree, L., Sadjadi, M., Huffman, F., et al.[2022]

A qualitative study involving 40 parents of young children revealed that both fathers and mothers prioritize different content in mHealth apps aimed at improving responsive feeding practices, with fathers focusing on first foods and choking hazards, while mothers prefer topics like breastfeeding and picky eating.

Parents expressed a strong interest in features that allow tracking child growth and setting feeding goals, indicating that personalized and practical tools in mHealth apps could enhance their effectiveness in promoting healthy feeding habits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

BabyByte: Qualitative Research to Inform the Development of an App to Improve Responsive Feeding Practices in Parents of Infants and Toddlers. Mobley, AR., Jake-Schoffman, DE., Fedele, DA., et al.[2023]

Nutricia Early Life Nutrition has introduced an online baby symptom checker designed to improve communication between healthcare professionals and parents regarding common feeding issues.

This tool aims to help parents better understand their baby's symptoms and facilitate more informed discussions with their healthcare providers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Baby Symptom Checker. [2019]

The app 'See How They Grow' was co-created with input from parents and professionals, and tested over 12 weeks with 208 participants, showing that it helped 72% of users better understand growth charts for their children.

The app was particularly well-received by parents of younger children (under 6 months), indicating its potential effectiveness in supporting early childhood growth monitoring and possibly preventing obesity.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

See How They Grow: Testing the feasibility of a mobile app to support parents' understanding of child growth charts. Humphrey, G., Dobson, R., Parag, V., et al.[2021]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Using a Responsive Feedback Approach to Develop and Pilot a Counseling Chatbot to Strengthen Child Nutrition in Rural India. [2023]

2. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Smartphone App for Families With Preschool-Aged Children in a Public Nutrition Program: Prototype Development and Beta-Testing. [2021]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comprehensive overview of smartphone applications delivering child nutrition information. [2022]

4. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of Web-Based Personalized Nutrition Advice for Adults Using the eNutri Web App: Evidence From the EatWellUK Randomized Controlled Trial. [2022]

5. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Intervention Mapping of a Gamified Therapy Prescription App for Children With Disabilities: User-Centered Design Approach. [2022]

6. Korea (South) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development and Pilot Testing of the Snackability Smartphone Application to Identify Healthy and Unhealthy Snacks. [2022]

7. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

BabyByte: Qualitative Research to Inform the Development of an App to Improve Responsive Feeding Practices in Parents of Infants and Toddlers. [2023]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Baby Symptom Checker. [2019]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

See How They Grow: Testing the feasibility of a mobile app to support parents' understanding of child growth charts. [2021]