Location-based Smartphone Technology to Guide College Students Healthy Choices
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Healthy Studies, Insomnia Sleep Studies, Obesity Weight Loss |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Endocrinology, Psychiatry / Psychology, Other |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - 29 |
| Updated: | 4/17/2018 |
| Start Date: | September 30, 2015 |
| End Date: | February 28, 2018 |
Location-based Smartphone Technology to Guide College Students Healthy Choices Phase II
College students are in a newly independent phase of life; many of whom encounter unhealthy
dietary decision- making, barriers to physical activity, and poor sleep behaviors. Healthy
Detours is a location-based smartphone application tailored in real-time to a student's
schedule and locale, and aims to guide students toward healthier eating, exercise, and
lifestyle choices as a way to prevent the onset of damaging and costly health outcomes.
Through a randomized control trial, this Phase II project will test the effectiveness of an
evidence-based smartphone application that will provide students with on-demand,
location-specific information about healthy lifestyle choices.
dietary decision- making, barriers to physical activity, and poor sleep behaviors. Healthy
Detours is a location-based smartphone application tailored in real-time to a student's
schedule and locale, and aims to guide students toward healthier eating, exercise, and
lifestyle choices as a way to prevent the onset of damaging and costly health outcomes.
Through a randomized control trial, this Phase II project will test the effectiveness of an
evidence-based smartphone application that will provide students with on-demand,
location-specific information about healthy lifestyle choices.
Poor eating habits, sedentary behavior, and deficient sleep quality are problematic for many
college students. Surrounded by numerous unhealthy food choices and physical activity
barriers, students are vulnerable to overweight and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart
disease, and cancer. Today's college students are more technologically connected than
previous generations positioning mobile devices as an ideal method for reaching this
population with healthy lifestyle information. In a Phase I Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR), our team developed Healthy Detours, an innovative mobile phone application
(app) designed to assist college students make healthier choices about food and physical
activity on and around their college campus. Specifically, we (a) developed a comprehensive
database to provide user-specific information through the use of location-based services
(LBS) focused on healthy lifestyle choices; (b) conducted an online survey with a national
sample of undergraduates which examined eating and physical activity preferences, interest in
smartphone technology to monitor healthy lifestyle choices, and use of "check-ins" for health
information; (c) conducted focus groups which demonstrated the prototype app's ability to
provide the user with rudimentary aspects of the LBS database to facilitate real-time
decision making for healthier choices; (d) conducted lab and field usability testing of the
app for its accuracy in identifying user location and functionality; and (e) developed a
specifications document to outline the Phase II development plan. The results of the Phase I
activities provided strong support for this project in which we propose to develop an
interactive, mobile app that is guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social
Cognitive Theory (SCT). This project will produce a fully functional LBS smartphone app that
will provide (1) immediate and relevant feedback at the point of decision-making to reinforce
healthy lifestyle behaviors, (2) person- and location-specific tailored data, acquired
through activity tracking, to provide users with necessary information to improve future
decision-making, and (3) multiple health-tracking features that will aid in self-monitoring.
Healthy Detours will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (n=300) with students at a
large 4-year university. Primary outcomes include changes in dietary intake, physical
activity behavior, sleep quality, and quality of life. Overall, the proposed project has the
potential to significantly impact college students' health and quality of life by providing
them with real-time healthy choices. Healthy Detours is one of the first comprehensive
wellness apps offered to college students, and provides an opportunity via the SBIR funding
mechanism to reach a large number of students as evidenced by the commercialization plan.
college students. Surrounded by numerous unhealthy food choices and physical activity
barriers, students are vulnerable to overweight and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart
disease, and cancer. Today's college students are more technologically connected than
previous generations positioning mobile devices as an ideal method for reaching this
population with healthy lifestyle information. In a Phase I Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR), our team developed Healthy Detours, an innovative mobile phone application
(app) designed to assist college students make healthier choices about food and physical
activity on and around their college campus. Specifically, we (a) developed a comprehensive
database to provide user-specific information through the use of location-based services
(LBS) focused on healthy lifestyle choices; (b) conducted an online survey with a national
sample of undergraduates which examined eating and physical activity preferences, interest in
smartphone technology to monitor healthy lifestyle choices, and use of "check-ins" for health
information; (c) conducted focus groups which demonstrated the prototype app's ability to
provide the user with rudimentary aspects of the LBS database to facilitate real-time
decision making for healthier choices; (d) conducted lab and field usability testing of the
app for its accuracy in identifying user location and functionality; and (e) developed a
specifications document to outline the Phase II development plan. The results of the Phase I
activities provided strong support for this project in which we propose to develop an
interactive, mobile app that is guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Social
Cognitive Theory (SCT). This project will produce a fully functional LBS smartphone app that
will provide (1) immediate and relevant feedback at the point of decision-making to reinforce
healthy lifestyle behaviors, (2) person- and location-specific tailored data, acquired
through activity tracking, to provide users with necessary information to improve future
decision-making, and (3) multiple health-tracking features that will aid in self-monitoring.
Healthy Detours will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (n=300) with students at a
large 4-year university. Primary outcomes include changes in dietary intake, physical
activity behavior, sleep quality, and quality of life. Overall, the proposed project has the
potential to significantly impact college students' health and quality of life by providing
them with real-time healthy choices. Healthy Detours is one of the first comprehensive
wellness apps offered to college students, and provides an opportunity via the SBIR funding
mechanism to reach a large number of students as evidenced by the commercialization plan.
Inclusion Criteria:
- age 18-29
- enrolled in a university or college on the Denver Auraria campus or Louisiana State
University (LSU) campus
- own a smartphone
- able to speak and read English; and
- consent to participate
Exclusion Criteria:
- under age of 18 years
- not a current student at any Denver Auraria campus or at LSU
We found this trial at
2
sites
6400 Perkins Rd
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
(225) 763-2500
Phone: 225-763-3034
Pennington Biomedical Research Center Unlike other medical research facilities where science occurs in separate labs...
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Golden, Colorado 80401
Principal Investigator: Valerie Myers, PhD
Phone: 303-565-4336
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