AdultNCT05597969
The Effect of an Application-based Health Intervention (FoodCoach) on Food Purchases in Switzerland
A study testing FoodCoach in people with Adult, run by University of St.Gallen at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
The FoodCoach study is a 9-week randomized controlled trial from the University of St.Gallen and the University Hospital of Bern, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation #188402 and by Sanitas Management AG. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Adult
- What is being tested?
- FoodCoach
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 9 Nov 2022to 26 May 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Participants need to be at least 18 years old by the time they join the study.
- Participants need to participate in at least one of the two loyalty card programmes, i.e., Migros Cumulus and/or Coop Supercard.
- Participants need to be German- and/or English-speaking, as the FoodCoach application is in German and English.
Who cannot join
- Younger than 18 years old by the time the participants join the study.
- Do not participate in at least one of the two loyalty card programmes, i.e., Migros Cumulus and/or Coop Supercard.
- Not German- and/or English-speaking, so that the participants cannot understand the content of the app.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Switzerland1 site
University of St. Gallen
Sankt Gallen, Canton of St. Gallen, 9000
About this study
Official title: The Effect of an Application-based Health Intervention (FoodCoach) on Food Purchases in Switzerland: Randomized Controlled Trial
The FoodCoach study is a 9-week randomized controlled trial from the University of St.Gallen and the University Hospital of Bern, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation #188402 and by Sanitas Management AG. Sanitas Management AG supports the recruiting of study participants without interfering with the study content.
FoodCoach aims to investigate the effectiveness of improving people's food shopping healthiness by providing automated food shopping recommendations. The results of the study could possibly help improve the health status of the Swiss population and beyond in a low-cost and automated manner.
The investigators collect participant grocery data via the loyalty card programs "Migros Cumulus" and "Coop Supercard" after obtaining participants' informed consent. From this data, the investigators generate automated recommendations that are based on the Nutri-Score framework and expertise of dieticians at the University Hospital of Bern. After sign-up, participants are randomized into a treatment and a control group. The treatment group receives automated recommendations via the FoodCoach Web Application, while the control group only receives a report about their food shopping by email after the intervention phase. Both groups need to finish the same onboarding survey where the investigators collect basic demographic information. After the intervention, the treatment group will receive a post-study survey containing two parts via email. Part 1 includes questions about the ease of use, interface and satisfaction and usefulness of the FoodCoach app. Part 2 includes questions about the participants' weight and height, the motivation to shop healthily and sustainably. The control group will receive a post-study survey which only contains part 2 as described before via email.
- Conditions
- Adult
- Being tested
- FoodCoach
- Keywords
- eHealth, Food purchase, Behavior change, Randomized controlled trial
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
FoodCoachBehavioural
The FoodCoach app displays transparent analysis and recommendations regarding participant's food purchases recorded on their loyalty cards. It tries to help participants understand why and how they should/can shop more healthily, motivating them to change their unhealthy food purchase behavior.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| FoodCoach | Experimental | The experimental group uses the FutureMe app for 9 weeks and continue to voluntarily use it. The app has the following functionality:
* Dashboard: show the Nutri-Score changes over the last 10 baskets and comparisons between the specific user and all FoodCoach app users.
* Recommendations: show three recommendations regarding their food purchases and healthier product recommendations to help them achieve these recommendations.
* Nutrition Analysis: show the monthly energy contribution of 7 food categories in the past 6 months.
* Spending Analysis: show the monthly expense contribution of 7 food categories and 1 not categorized category in the past 6 months.
* Shopping history: show their purchase history in the past 6 months, together with monthly average Nutri-Score and basket Nutri-Score if applicable
* Q \& A: show answers to the commonly asked questions. E.g., how is the Nutri-Score calculated? Receives: Behavioral: FoodCoach |
| Control | No intervention | The control group receives no application for use. They need to finish the onboarding survey, donate their food purchase data and finish the post-study survey (voluntary). They receive no intervention while the experimental group should be actively using the FoodCoach app. The investigators will send them an analysis report of their food purchase data via email in 3 months after the intervention phase is gone. Note the intervention lasts for 9 weeks. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Body mass index change
Survey data. Note that the post-study survey is "voluntary" because the investigators cannot force participants to finish it.
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - overall food shopping healthiness change
The overall food shopping healthiness as indicated by Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - fruit purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - vegetable purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - protein food purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - processed food purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - beverage purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - oils, fats, sauces, nuts and seeds purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Food purchase behavior - grains, potatoes and legumes purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9 weeks
Secondary outcomes (6)
Food purchase behavior - energy purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - sugar purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - saturated fatty acids purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - sodium purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - fiber purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - protein purchase change
Loyalty card data
Measured: Baseline, 9weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Oct 2022
- Study start9 Nov 2022
- Primary completion26 May 2023
- Study completion26 May 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for AdultStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of St.Gallen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Bern, Swiss National Science Foundation, Sanitas Management AG
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Wu Jing, University of St.Gallen
- Investigators
- Jing Wu, MSc., Principal investigator, University of St.Gallen
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05597969
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- FOODCOACH2022
- Status last verified
- Nov 2023
- First submitted
- 21 Oct 2022
- Last updated
- 29 Nov 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: We plan to published anonymized partial food purchase data as approved by the Ethics committee. 1. The data will be published in an anonymized form. 2. Only purchase records that can be identified by our food composition database and belong to certain food categories will be published.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Nov 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of an Application-based Health Intervention (FoodCoach) on Food Purchases in Switzerland: Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05597969
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- FOODCOACH2022
- Conditions
- Adult
- Keywords
- eHealth, Food purchase, Behavior change, Randomized controlled trial
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of St.GallenUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Bern, Swiss National Science Foundation, Sanitas Management AG
- Study start
- 9 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 26 May 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 26 May 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The FoodCoach study is a 9-week randomized controlled trial from the University of St.Gallen and the University Hospital of Bern, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation #188402 and by Sanitas Management AG. Sanitas Management AG supports the recruiting of study participants without interfering with the study content.
FoodCoach aims to investigate the effectiveness of improving people's food shopping healthiness by providing automated food shopping recommendations. The results of the study could possibly help improve the health status of the Swiss population and beyond in a low-cost and automated manner.
The investigators collect participant grocery data via the loyalty card programs "Migros Cumulus" and "Coop Supercard" after obtaining participants' informed consent. From this data, the investigators generate automated recommendations that are based on the Nutri-Score framework and expertise of dieticians at the University Hospital of Bern. After sign-up, participants are randomized into a treatment and a control group. The treatment group receives automated recommendations via the FoodCoach Web Application, while the control group only receives a report about their food shopping by email after the intervention phase. Both groups need to finish the same onboarding survey where the investigators collect basic demographic information. After the intervention, the treatment group will receive a post-study survey containing two parts via email. Part 1 includes questions about the ease of use, interface and satisfaction and usefulness of the FoodCoach app. Part 2 includes questions about the participants' weight and height, the motivation to shop healthily and sustainably. The control group will receive a post-study survey which only contains part 2 as described before via email.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| FoodCoach | Experimental | Behavioral: FoodCoachThe experimental group uses the FutureMe app for 9 weeks and continue to voluntarily use it. The app has the following functionality: * Dashboard: show the Nutri-Score changes over the last 10 baskets and comparisons between the specific user and all FoodCoach app users. * Recommendations: show three recommendations regarding their food purchases and healthier product recommendations to help them achieve these recommendations. * Nutrition Analysis: show the monthly energy contribution of 7 food categories in the past 6 months. * Spending Analysis: show the monthly expense contribution of 7 food categories and 1 not categorized category in the past 6 months. * Shopping history: show their purchase history in the past 6 months, together with monthly average Nutri-Score and basket Nutri-Score if applicable * Q \& A: show answers to the commonly asked questions. E.g., how is the Nutri-Score calculated? |
| Control | No intervention | –The control group receives no application for use. They need to finish the onboarding survey, donate their food purchase data and finish the post-study survey (voluntary). They receive no intervention while the experimental group should be actively using the FoodCoach app. The investigators will send them an analysis report of their food purchase data via email in 3 months after the intervention phase is gone. Note the intervention lasts for 9 weeks. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Participants need to be at least 18 years old by the time they join the study.
- Participants need to participate in at least one of the two loyalty card programmes, i.e., Migros Cumulus and/or Coop Supercard.
- Participants need to be German- and/or English-speaking, as the FoodCoach application is in German and English.
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Younger than 18 years old by the time the participants join the study.
- Do not participate in at least one of the two loyalty card programmes, i.e., Migros Cumulus and/or Coop Supercard.
- Not German- and/or English-speaking, so that the participants cannot understand the content of the app.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| FoodCoachThe FoodCoach app displays transparent analysis and recommendations regarding participant's food purchases recorded on their loyalty cards. It tries to help participants understand why and how they should/can shop more healthily, motivating them to change their unhealthy food purchase behavior. | Behavioural | FoodCoach |
Primary outcome
Body mass index change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Survey data. Note that the post-study survey is "voluntary" because the investigators cannot force participants to finish it.
Food purchase behavior - overall food shopping healthiness change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
The overall food shopping healthiness as indicated by Food Standards Agency Nutrient Profiling System Dietary Index
Food purchase behavior - fruit purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - vegetable purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - protein food purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - processed food purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - beverage purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - oils, fats, sauces, nuts and seeds purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
Food purchase behavior - grains, potatoes and legumes purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks
Loyalty card data
6 secondary outcomes
Food purchase behavior - energy purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - sugar purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - saturated fatty acids purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - sodium purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - fiber purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9weeks
Food purchase behavior - protein purchase change
Time frame: Baseline, 9weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Nov 2023.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. We plan to published anonymized partial food purchase data as approved by the Ethics committee. 1. The data will be published in an anonymized form. 2. Only purchase records that can be identified by our food composition database and belong to certain food categories will be published.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Jing Wu, MSc. principal investigator
University of St.Gallen
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing FoodCoach in people with Adult, run by University of St.Gallen at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Nov 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Body mass index change (time frame: Baseline, 9 weeks). The study lists 9 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Nov 2023.