Living Green and Healthy for Teens

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.

Conditions

• Healthy Lifestyle
• Adolescent Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

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.

BEHAVIORAL

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Childhood Obesity Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  collaborator OTHER

• Ayogo Health Inc.

  collaborator OTHER

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Population Health Research Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Zubin Punthakee, MD, MSc · Population Health Research Institute

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

10 Years

Max Age

16 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-12-11

Primary Completion

2024-09-30

Completion

2025-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations