University students account for 50% of the UK young adult population and dietary assessment of this population is crucial in understanding the dietary changes that may occur as they transition to university and adulthood. At this time, many students will leave home for the first time and become responsible for their dietary intake through food shopping and meal preparation. The limited body of evidence in this population group suggests that starting university may be associated with weight gain and the adoption of unhealthful dietary patterns however the extent of these changes may vary based on gender, cooking ability and grocery budget, to name a few. Furthermore, dietary guidance is not typically given to university students although evidence suggests that personalised nutrition advice based on an individual's habitual dietary intake could help to provide the education and support needed for individuals to adopt a healthier diet. This student pilot study will test whether providing university students with eNutri personalised nutrition advice (intervention group) has a differential impact on diet quality in UK university students compared with those who do not receive any advice (control group) after a 4-week intervention period. 50 university students will use eNutri to record their dietary intake before being randomly allocated to the control or intervention group. After 4 weeks, both groups will repeat the eNutri food and drink questionnaire. Those in the intervention group will also be invited to complete a follow-up questionnaire after a further 8 weeks.
A minimum of 50 participants will be recruited from the University of Reading and University of Hertfordshire and will be asked to complete the eNutri food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at pre-baseline (week -4) to capture their non-term time diet. 4 weeks later, the participants will be asked to repeat the questionnaire to capture their usual term time diet. At this time point, participants will be randomly allocated by eNutri to either the personalised nutrition (PN) intervention or control group: * PN intervention group: participants will receive web-based delivery of the eNutri PN advice tailored to their dietary intake, sex and certain dietary restrictions (such as whether they eat meat); PN advice will be unique to each participant. * Control group: participants will not receive any PN advice from eNutri. The study will last for 16 weeks with a 4-week intervention period: * Week -4 (pre-baseline): participants will use eNutri to complete the eNutri FFQ, to provide self-reported anthropometric measurements (height and weight) and to answer questions on behaviour change, physical activity, computer proficiency, and usability of eNutri (via the system usability scale (SUS)). * Week 0 (baseline): participants will use eNutri to repeat the eNutri FFQ, to provide self-reported anthropometric measurements (height and weight) and demographic information, and to answer questions on behaviour change and physical activity. Those randomised to the PN group will also receive PN advice about their diet via eNutri and will complete a few short questions about which dietary targets they would like to focus on (if any) over the coming weeks to encourage behaviour change. * Weeks 1 \& 3: participants in the PN group only will receive interactive coaching emails to set new dietary goals, be reminded of their PN advice and receive tips and recipes to help them follow the advice. * Week 4 (end of study): participants in both groups will use eNutri to repeat the eNutri FFQ, provide self-reported weight, answer questions on physical activity and behaviour change, and provide feedback on the dietary advice received from eNutri (intervention group only). * Week 12 follow-up: participants in the intervention group will complete a short online questionnaire about the longer-term effects of the eNutri dietary advice received during the study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
eNutri is a web-based app that administers an FFQ and delivers PN advice to the user. The advice is generated from their responses in the FFQ and considers their sex and dietary restrictions (such as whether they eat meat) so the reports are unique to each participant. This report (referred to as a 'healthy eating report') will also include an interactive component, allowing the participant to reflect on the advice received and set personal healthy eating goals to motivate behaviour change. The messages presented in the report have been developed by the eNutri Team, including a registered dietitian and registered nutritionist and are in line with UK dietary guidelines (primarily the EatWell Guide).
University of Reading
Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom
University of Hertfordshire
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Diet quality score (DQS)
An 11-item eNutri DQS will be automatically calculated by eNutri after completing the FFQ. The eNutri DQS was developed for Northern European adults and quantifies diet quality (i.e. the healthiness of a diet). It is composed of 11 food and nutrient components that are summed to give an overall score, where higher scores reflect the healthiest diets based on adherence to dietary guidelines
Time frame: Baseline
Diet quality score (DQS)
An 11-item eNutri DQS will be automatically calculated by eNutri after completing the FFQ. The eNutri DQS was developed for Northern European adults and quantifies diet quality (i.e. the healthiness of a diet). It is composed of 11 food and nutrient components that are summed to give an overall score, where higher scores reflect the healthiest diets based on adherence to dietary guidelines
Time frame: Week 4
Weight
Self-reported measurement of weight
Time frame: Pre-baseline
Weight
Self-reported measurement of weight
Time frame: Baseline
Weight
Self-reported measurement of weight
Time frame: Week 4
Height
Self-reported measurement of height
Time frame: Pre-baseline
Height
Self-reported measurement of height
Time frame: Baseline
Body mass index (BMI)
Automatically calculated by eNutri after providing self-reported weight and height
Time frame: Pre-baseline
Body mass index (BMI)
Automatically calculated by eNutri after providing self-reported weight and height
Time frame: Baseline
Body mass index (BMI)
Automatically calculated by eNutri after providing self-reported weight and height
Time frame: Week 4
eNutri Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) dietary intake data
eNutri includes a 157-item FFQ which participants will use to identify how often they typically ate/drank each item during the last 4 weeks (e.g. once a day, less than once a week, not in the last 4 weeks) then choose their typical portion size from a range of 7 photos/buttons. To increase the accuracy of the FFQ, some food/drink items have an extra question, such as the type of milk used on breakfast cereals/hot drinks or whether the food/drink item consumed was a reduced fat/sugar variety. The responses to the FFQ are used to automatically calculate the average intake in grams per day for each food item.
Time frame: Pre-baseline (week -4)
eNutri Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) dietary intake data
eNutri includes a 157-item FFQ which participants will use to identify how often they typically ate/drank each item during the last 4 weeks (e.g. once a day, less than once a week, not in the last 4 weeks) then choose their typical portion size from a range of 7 photos/buttons. To increase the accuracy of the FFQ, some food/drink items have an extra question, such as the type of milk used on breakfast cereals/hot drinks or whether the food/drink item consumed was a reduced fat/sugar variety. The responses to the FFQ are used to automatically calculate the average intake in grams per day for each food item.
Time frame: Baseline
eNutri Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) dietary intake data
eNutri includes a 157-item FFQ which participants will use to identify how often they typically ate/drank each item during the last 4 weeks (e.g. once a day, less than once a week, not in the last 4 weeks) then choose their typical portion size from a range of 7 photos/buttons. To increase the accuracy of the FFQ, some food/drink items have an extra question, such as the type of milk used on breakfast cereals/hot drinks or whether the food/drink item consumed was a reduced fat/sugar variety. The responses to the FFQ are used to automatically calculate the average intake in grams per day for each food item.
Time frame: Week 4
Individual DQS component scores, food group intakes (e.g. vegetables, wholegrains) and nutrient intakes (e.g. saturated fat, sodium)
Recorded via eNutri FFQ
Time frame: Pre-baseline (Week -4)
Individual DQS component scores, food group intakes (e.g. vegetables, wholegrains) and nutrient intakes (e.g. saturated fat, sodium)
Recorded via eNutri FFQ
Time frame: Baseline
Individual DQS component scores, food group intakes (e.g. vegetables, wholegrains) and nutrient intakes (e.g. saturated fat, sodium)
Recorded via eNutri FFQ
Time frame: Week 4
Usability of eNutri measured by the System Usability Scale (SUS)
The SUS is a 10-item questionnaire with 5 response options that range from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree and is a reliable tool for measuring usability.
Time frame: Baseline
Participants motivation and perceived ability to make dietary changes
Measured through a short psychology questionnaire covering ability, opportunity, motivation, and knowledge
Time frame: Pre-baseline (Week -4)
Participants motivation and perceived ability to make dietary changes
Measured through a short psychology questionnaire covering ability, opportunity, motivation, and knowledge
Time frame: Baseline
Participants motivation and perceived ability to make dietary changes
Measured through a short psychology questionnaire covering ability, opportunity, motivation, and knowledge
Time frame: Week 4
Participant feedback on the dietary advice received from eNutri
Questionnaire covering how effective the dietary advice was at encouraging the participants to make healthy changes to their diet and whether they encountered any barriers (intervention group only).
Time frame: Week 4
Feedback on the longer-term impact of the dietary advice received from eNutri
A follow-up questionnaire provided at week 12 to determine whether there was a longer-term impact of the dietary advice received (intervention group only).
Time frame: Week 12
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.