Mobile Apps for Child Nutrition and Wellness
(MAPP Trial)
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Overseen byPamela C Hull, PhD
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Pamela Hull
Disqualifiers: No mobile device, No internet access, Others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
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.
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.
12345Is 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.
23678How 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.
12389Eligibility 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
Trial 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
Participant Groups
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.
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Intervention Arm: Nutrition and wellness appExperimental Treatment1 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 appActive Control1 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.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
University of KentuckyLexington, KY
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Pamela HullLead Sponsor
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)Collaborator
References
Using a Responsive Feedback Approach to Develop and Pilot a Counseling Chatbot to Strengthen Child Nutrition in Rural India. [2023]Nearly half of all deaths in children in India aged younger than 5 years are attributable to undernutrition. Reinforcing the caregiver's positive behaviors through multiple channels can lead to improved child nutrition outcomes. We describe the development and piloting of a chatbot to improve nutrition outcomes for children aged 0-12 months.
A Smartphone App for Families With Preschool-Aged Children in a Public Nutrition Program: Prototype Development and Beta-Testing. [2021]The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in the United States provides free supplemental food and nutrition education to low-income mothers and children under age 5 years. Childhood obesity prevalence is higher among preschool children in the WIC program compared to other children, and WIC improves dietary quality among low-income children. The Children Eating Well (CHEW) smartphone app was developed in English and Spanish for WIC-participating families with preschool-aged children as a home-based intervention to reinforce WIC nutrition education and help prevent childhood obesity.
Comprehensive overview of smartphone applications delivering child nutrition information. [2022]Numerous smartphone-based applications that guide parenting, child nutrition, and child health-related knowledge are available. Here, we reviewed the applications available in the Google Play Store for child nutrition, primarily focused on children aged <5 y. The keywords used in the search were "child nutrition," "child nutrition status assessment," and "parenting." We identified 370 apps from the play store and 33 qualified for the review. Among 33 apps, 3 were not updated in the last 3 mo, and 19 did not mention their source of information. Four apps did not require the child's name, date of birth, and sex for logging in. Twenty-three apps were available in English only. The output features of the selected apps were food, growth, development and vaccine trackers, data export, reminders, meal planner, feeding tips, list of food, recipes details, information about nutrients, and question/answer session with the expert. Only eight apps provided access to consultation with experts and three suggested nutrient requirements of the child. Three apps scored similarly based on features, although the feature types differed. Findings from this review suggest that the apps do not follow any uniform guidelines for delivering the child nutrition information to the caregivers. About 50% of apps did not mention the consulted source for its development, indicating the unavailability of uniform guidelines or policy documents for child nutrition app development. App-based intervention studies are recommended to assess the effectiveness of child nutrition/health smartphone applications.
Effectiveness of Web-Based Personalized Nutrition Advice for Adults Using the eNutri Web App: Evidence From the EatWellUK Randomized Controlled Trial. [2022]Evidence suggests that eating behaviors and adherence to dietary guidelines can be improved using nutrition-related apps. Apps delivering personalized nutrition (PN) advice to users can provide individual support at scale with relatively low cost.
Intervention Mapping of a Gamified Therapy Prescription App for Children With Disabilities: User-Centered Design Approach. [2022]Mobile health (mHealth) apps for children are increasing in availability and scope. Therapy (physiotherapy, speech pathology, and occupational therapy) prescription apps to improve home or school program adherence work best when developed to be highly engaging for children and when they incorporate behavior change techniques (BCTs) within their design.
Development and Pilot Testing of the Snackability Smartphone Application to Identify Healthy and Unhealthy Snacks. [2022]Snacks contribute to the diet quality in youth, which is often poor. Although the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has guidelines for healthy snacks, this is lost in translation when youth are choosing snacks. To develop a user-friendly app to help identify healthy snacks based on the US Department of Agriculture guidelines and evaluate the app's feasibility, usability, satisfaction, and acceptability.
BabyByte: Qualitative Research to Inform the Development of an App to Improve Responsive Feeding Practices in Parents of Infants and Toddlers. [2023]Responsive feeding is associated with a reduced risk of childhood obesity. The objective of this qualitative study was to determine parental preferences for mobile health (mHealth) app content and features designed to improve responsive feeding practices. Parents of 0-2-year-old children were interviewed individually. Interview questions were informed by the Technology Acceptance Model, and parents provided feedback on sample app content and features. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded by two researchers using thematic analysis; responses were compared by parent gender and income. Parents (n = 20 fathers, n = 20 mothers) were, on average, 33 years old, low-income (50%), identified as non-white (52.5%), and had a bachelor's degree or higher (62%). Overall, parents were most interested in feeding tips and recipe content, and app features that allowed tracking child growth and setting feeding goals. Fathers were most interested in content about first foods, choking hazards, and nutrition information, while mothers preferred content on breastfeeding, picky eating, and portion sizes. Parents with lower incomes were interested in nutrition guidelines, breastfeeding, and introducing solids. Non-low-income parents preferred information related to food allergies, portion sizes, and picky eating. The findings of this study provide considerations when developing mHealth apps to improve responsive feeding practices in parents.
Baby Symptom Checker. [2019]A new online baby symptom checker has been launched by Nutricia Early Life Nutrition to enhance conversations between healthcare professionals and parents about common feeding problems.
See How They Grow: Testing the feasibility of a mobile app to support parents' understanding of child growth charts. [2021]Mobile devices provide new opportunities for the prevention of overweight and obesity in children. We aimed to co-create and test an app that offered comprehensible feedback to parents on their child's growth and delivered a suite of age-specific information about nutrition and activity.