BACKGROUND
Digital health tools provide the opportunity to support behaviour change and allow interventions to be scalable at a minimal cost. Apps that encourage dietary change are available and commonly used among younger populations however, few have been developed for the nutritional and technical requirements of older adults. Keep-on-Keep-up Nutrition (KOKU-Nut) is a free, tablet-based app that focuses on improving the dietary intake of older adults based on UK dietary guidelines. The intervention targets an important research area identified as a research priority reported by the James Lind Alliance priority setting partnership for malnutrition.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of using the digital health tool KOKU-Nut amongst community-dwelling older adults to inform a future randomised controlled trial. Secondary aims are to determine the acceptability, usability, preliminary effect sizes and safety of the study and the intervention (KOKU-Nut).
METHODS
This is a feasibility randomised controlled trial. We plan to recruit a total of 36 community-dwelling older adults using purposive sampling. Participants will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either the intervention or the control group. The intervention group will be asked to engage with KOKU-Nut 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Participants in the control group will receive a leaflet promoting a healthy lifestyle. The study will assess feasibility of the intervention including adherence and ability to collect data on anthropometry, dietary intake, physical function and quality of life.
RESULTS
We anticipate data collection will commence in October 2023 with results ready for publication by September 2024.
CONCLUSIONS
The study aligns with guidelines developed by the Medical Research Council for developing a complex intervention by employing qualitative and quantitative research to examine the barriers to intervention from the perspective of users and identify potential challenges around recruitment and retention .
CLINICALTRIAL
ClinicalTrials.gov (17372) approved on 12th July 2023