Living Green and Healthy for Teens

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Aim2Be smartphone app system: Youth-parent dyads will receive the LiGHT program (addressing healthy eating, physical activity, screen time and sleep) via the Aim2Be smartphone app for 6 months. It provides personalization beginning with creation of an avatar and identifying user motivations, offers progressive goal-setting considering readiness, sub-tasks, milestones, self-monitoring tools with feedback and positive reinforcement. It applies behaviour change techniques, provides a knowledge centre, simulation narratives to enable decision making, and separate social exchange platforms for parents and youth to share ideas and challenges with peers. A Virtual Coach has been programmed using motivational interviewing theory. Gamification includes elements of choice, challenge, uncertainty, discovery, and kudos for achieving outcomes in the process of developing motivations, skills and mastery.

BnLt smartphone app: Youth-parent dyads will receive a simple app called BnLt for 6 months. It provides web-links to external websites that provide information and tips on healthy eating and activity, including the Canada Food Guide, Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology recommendations for physical activity, screen time and sleep for youth, and other resources.

Study summary

This is a two-group parallel randomized controlled trial testing whether a gamified healthy living smartphone app for youth aged 10-16 representative of the Canadian population and one of their parents is more effective at improving a composite of health behaviours (diet, physical activity, sleep and screen time) than a simple app providing links to healthy living websites.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Healthy living behaviours — 6 months
  Number of behaviours engaged in by youth of the following 7 behaviours: a) ≥60 minutes of MVPA daily, b) ≤2 hours of recreational screen time daily, c) 9-11 hours (for those ≤13 years) and 8-10 hours (for those ≥14 years) of nightly sleep, d) ≥5 fruit and vegetable servings per day, e) ≤2 sugary beverages per week, f) breakfast consumption 7 days per week, and g) eating out or ordering in \<1 time per week.

Trial sites (1)

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