Pilot Mobile for Dementia and Frailty

Summary

In this project, we propose to build on our Stage I formative work (according to the NIH Stage Model for Behavioral Intervention Development), where we developed fully functional prototypes of a mobile intervention aimed at improving adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MedD) for older adults with frailty and early dementia to complete the Stage II exploratory work, where the intervention will undergo further feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy tests. The intervention includes a patient-facing app that allows users to track their diet and receive personalized feedback concerning opportunities for improvement and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, informational materials about MedD, and a chat feature. On the other end, a web-based provider interface allows clinicians to review patient progress, suggest meal plans, and send and receive messages. The pilot randomized controlled trial, conducted over three months, will compare usual care to usual care plus mobile intervention to gather preliminary efficacy data concerning a change in adherence to MedD score (primary outcome). Mechanistic and secondary outcomes will include MedD knowledge, constructs from Social Cognitive Theory (self-efficacy, outcome expectation, self-regulation, and social support), platform use, anthropometric, and functional measures. Feasibility will be evaluated in terms of recruitment and retention outcomes. Acceptability will be determined through post-intervention semi-structured interviews and structured survey measures.

Conditions

• Dementia
• Frailty

Interventions

OTHER

Mobile app

The main mobile intervention features. Tracking and immediate feedback: Pressing the icon launches a short series of questions with multiple-choice response options focusing on recent meals . The survey items are modeled after the 14-item Mediterranean Adherence Screener using simplified language and intuitive visuals to lower cognitive load. Based on responses to the survey, the app provides an intuitive visualization of the survey results, personalized feedback, and recipes on how to improve the person's diet. On-demand resources: individuals are able to access on-demand resources about the MedD diet, its benefits, and best dietary practices. The recipe page includes a personalized list of simple breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes based on the survey results with step by step instructions on how to prepare Mediterranean foods. In-app messaging: Individuals are able to receive notifications and send and receive messages.

OTHER

Usual Care

Participants randomly allocated to the control group will receive educational materials on healthy eating, as provided on the NIA web page (https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/healthy-eating).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Washington

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Oleg Zaslavsky, PhD, MHA, RN · University of Washington

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-06-06

Primary Completion

2024-03-15

Completion

2024-03-15

Countries

• United States

Study Locations