About this trial

This project aims to implement and evaluate two multi-component dietary interventions focused on promoting healthy and sustainable eating behaviors and preventing weight gain among Flemish higher education students. These interventions will take place over a period of eight weeks and are specifically designed to support healthy lifestyle choices during the transition from secondary school to higher education, a critical period where unhealthy eating behaviors and weight gain are common.

The interventions will be conducted at a university and a college, utilizing nudges in student restaurants, social media campaigns via Instagram, and workshops to encourage healthy and sustainable eating habits. Effectiveness will be measured using questionnaires administered at three points in time: before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention (post-intervention), and five months later (follow-up). Two other campuses will serve as a control group to compare results.

In addition to assessing effectiveness, a process evaluation will also be conducted. This will involve focus groups with students and stakeholders, as well as a process questionnaire, to gain insights into the implementation of the interventions and the experiences of those involved. If the interventions prove successful, they may be scaled up to other Flemish institutions as part of a broader strategy for cancer prevention.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for par-ticipation in the study;

Male, female or X, aged 18-24 years;

Healthy higher education students from institution X or campus Y.

Persons who are involved in the design, implementation, daily operations or management of the nutrition intervention.

Disqualifiers

Students who speak insufficient Dutch;

Students who are less than 18 years old.

Persons who speak insufficient Dutch.

Trial design

Design model

Sequential

Treatments tested in this trial

Healthy eating promoting programme
Behavioral
It is a comprehensive, multi-component intervention tailored specifically for higher education students. Unlike many traditional health programs, this intervention uniquely combines the use of social media campaigns, behavioral nudges in student cafeterias, and interactive boost workshops.

Treatment groups

653 Participants

are divided into 2 treatment groups

Group A: Nutrition interventionExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Group B: ControlNo intervention 0 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Nutrition behaviour

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporated a modified version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), adapted from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey for high school students. The FFQ evaluates dietary intake by measuring the consumption of both healthy foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits) and unhealthy foods (e.g., sugary drinks, fast food). Responses were recorded on an ordinal frequency scale, ranging from "never" to "more than three times per day."

Time frame

3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

2

Attitude

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section incorporated adapted questions from the REWARD study, as well as the EAT 2 and EAT 3 surveys. Attitudes toward healthy eating were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

Time frame

3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

3

Nutrition knowledge

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section incorporated questions from the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) and study-specific questions related to the intervention (e.g., daily water intake recommendations). Nutrition knowledge was evaluated through multiple-choice questions.

Time frame

3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

4

Self-efficacy

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study. This section of the questionnaire incorporates adapted items from the REWARD study. Participants rated their confidence in making healthy and sustainable food choices using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "very difficult" to "very easy."

Time frame

3 test occations: baseline, 10 weeks after baseline and 5 months after baseline.

Secondary outcomes

1

Fidelity

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study, along with additional focus group discussions with students and stakeholders. The questionnaire will incorporate six elements of the Saunders Framework on process evaluation of interventions, assessing various aspects of the intervention process.

Time frame

10 weeks after baseline

2

Dose delivered

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study, along with additional focus group discussions with students and stakeholders. The questionnaire will incorporate six elements of the Saunders Framework on process evaluation of interventions, assessing various aspects of the intervention process.

Time frame

10 weeks after baseline

3

Dose received

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study, along with additional focus group discussions with students and stakeholders. The questionnaire will incorporate six elements of the Saunders Framework on process evaluation of interventions, assessing various aspects of the intervention process.

Time frame

10 weeks after baseline

4

Reach

Measured using an online questionnaire specifically developed for this study, along with additional focus group discussions with students and stakeholders. The questionnaire will incorporate six elements of the Saunders Framework on process evaluation of interventions, assessing various aspects of the intervention process.

Time frame

10 weeks after baseline

Implementation and Evaluation of Nutrition Interventions

About this trial

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Disqualifiers

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

Treatment groups

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

Secondary outcomes

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts