How to eat healthy and save the planet. Development and evaluation of an evidence-based app
Type
06 - Präsentation
Zusammenfassung
Background: Food consumption affects individuals as well as our planet. How can a tailored
app help people to make healthier and more sustainable meal choices? To answer this
question, we contributed to the development of an evidence-based dietary app and
evaluated its effects. The app offers personalized recipes and tips in order to reduce food
waste and meat consumption, and increase the use of seasonal and plant-based products.
Method: Using a mixed-methods approach, app usage data (N=2167) and quantitative data
from a longitudinal online questionnaire (T1-T3: N=56) were combined with in-depth
interviews with users (N=6) and app-developers (N=3).
Findings: In the interviews, users evaluated the personalized recipe-suggestions positively.
An additional search (e.g. recipes with certain ingredients) was often no longer necessary to
find a suitable recipe. The app metrics showed positive correlations between frequent app
usage and the motivation to reduce food waste (r=.06, p<.05) as well as the motivation to
use seasonal products (r=.16, p<.01). The survey data showed that participants’ initial
confidence to implement new dietary behavior was a strong predictor of the implementation
of new dietary behavior after three weeks of app usage (β≥.49, p≤.01, R2 = .66). Last, the
development team emphasized the benefits of an iterative approach in which regular user
feedback informed the further development process of the app.
Discussion: The results of this research show that it can be effective to combine health- and
sustainability-focused diet interventions. These interventions should be personalized and
aim to increase users’ confidence to perform new dietary behavior.
Verlagsort / Veranstaltungsort
Dubrovnik
Veranstaltung
33rd annual conference of the european health psychology society