A Digital Approach to Improving Carbohydrate Periodisation Behaviours in Athlete: SMART+ Study

Summary

The carbohydrate periodisation framework is a widely accepted nutritional intervention strategy in the field of sports nutrition. However, despite the validity of this approach, it is reported that athletes find it difficult to stick to this behaviour and that the support required is highly personalised, and as a result time consuming for the coach. Prior research has suggested that a digital environment can deliver better personalised dietary interventions to better support athletes.

The overall purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a digital approach (a menu planner app with coach support), and gain understanding on the strategy to implement coach support according to app engagement in the digital approach to improve dietary carbohydrate periodisation behaviours in athletes.

Conditions

• Diet Habit

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

MP

The app-based menu planner (MP) given to the participants has an automated carbohydrate periodisation menu planning tool, an educational and motivational nutrition content (infographics, video and text articles), and recipes. Participants using the app will input their training schedule into the app to produce their own menu plans. The behaviour change techniques (BCT) underlying the intervention are goal \& planning, feedback \& monitoring, shaping knowledge, natural consequences, comparison of behaviour, comparison of outcome, associations, repetitions, reward \& threat, regulation and antecedents.

BEHAVIORAL

Call

A 30-45 minutes coaching consultation telephone/Skype call from the nutrition coaching to give social support. The BCT underlying the intervention is goal \& planning, social support, natural consequences.

BEHAVIORAL

MesC

Nutrition coach-led messaging (MesC) is where the mobile app (MP) has the text messaging feature activated, and the nutrition coach proactively initiates a conversation via text messaging up to three times a week to offer nutrition support to the participant. The BCT underlying the intervention is goal \& planning, social support, natural consequences.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Applied Behaviour Systems Ltd

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University College, London

  collaborator OTHER

• Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

  collaborator OTHER

• Liverpool John Moores University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

SEQUENTIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-09-14

Primary Completion

2020-12-31

Completion

2020-12-31

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations