Study of a Mobile Phone App e-12HR to Help University Students at the University of Seville Follow the Mediterranean Diet

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how using a mobile phone application called e-12HR may improve university students adherence to the Mediterranean diet. This controlled, randomized, multicenter clinical trial is conducted at the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Seville in Spain. The study aims to understand whether the feedback version of the app can encourage healthier dietary habits compared to a version without feedback. Participants are divided into two groups the intervention group uses the feedback e-12HR app, which calculates a Mediterranean Diet Serving Score MDSS and provides personalized recommendations for food groups needing improvement. The control group uses the non-feedback version, which only collects dietary intake data to calculate the MDSS. Both groups receive general healthy diet advice based on the Mediterranean diet. The study includes follow-up assessments at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. During the study, participants adherence to the Mediterranean diet is evaluated using the MDSS index at several time points. Researchers analyze changes in the MDSS score at 14, 21, and 28 days to assess the apps impact. Data collection involves monitoring dietary intake through the app, and statistical tests are used to compare results between groups. The total participation lasts about 28 days, during which participants diet quality and app engagement are closely tracked.

Effectiveness of an App for Mobile Phones (e-12HR) to Increase Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in University Students