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Dietetics, Nutrition and Biological Sciences

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/23

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Health Education

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    SmokeFreeNZ: Designing and Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Mobile Application in Reducing Cigarette Consumption
    (2018-10) Wu, Lian; Stamp, Daniel; Hanlon, Erin; Hampton, Jacqueline; Mercier, Jayne; Hicks, Karen Anne; Baghaei, Nilufar; Casey, John; Su, Bin
    Background: Smoking is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in New Zealand and the greatest burden of disease in the health of New Zealanders. A novel mobile application, SmokeFreeNZ, was developed for android phone systems. Objective: To investigate the efficacy of the SmokeFreeNZ app on prevalence of abstinence, self-reported number of cravings per day and smoking knowledge index measures. Methods: Forty Unitec smokers (30 android users and 10 controls) were recruited. Smokers’ demographics and their smoking information were investigated at baseline. The efficacy of the mobile app was evaluated by measuring prevalence of abstinence, self-reported number of cravings per day and smoking knowledge index measures. Results: After the mobile app use, mean Smoking Knowledge Index Measures increased from 62 (± 9)% to 96 (± 3)% (p<0.001) compared to the control group. Maximum number of days of continuous abstinence was 5.2 (± 0.5) days in the app user group and 2.1 (± 0.5) days in the control group (p<0.02). The prevalence of seven days abstinence in users of SmokeFreeNZ was also improved significantly in comparison to the control group (26.7% in the app user group compared to 10.0% in the control group, Chi-square tests; p<0.05). These findings indicate that the SmokeFreeNZ app did help smokers at Unitec to quit smoking. Conclusion: The SmokeFreeNZ app provided flexible and effective approach to coach smokers about the health risks of smoking and also improved seven days’ abstinence rates in the study period. Future investigation is required to compare the cost-benefit effects and to evaluate the efficacy in smoking cessation in a larger-scale trial.
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    Rationale and design of an online educational program using game-based learning to improve nutrition and physical activity outcomes among university students in the United Kingdom
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018-08-02) Belogianni, Katerina; Ooms, Ann; Ahmed, Hafez; Nikoletou, Dimitra; Grant, Robert; Makris, Dimitrios; Moir, Hannah J.
    Objective: To assess the impact of an online game-based educational program on nutrition knowledge and dietary and physical activity habits among university students in the United Kingdom. Design: Randomized controlled trial with pre- and postintervention comparisons. Setting: Two higher education settings in London, UK. Subjects: Current undergraduate and postgraduate students of two universities (n = 88) aged 18–34 years are randomly allocated to an intervention (n = 44) or a control group (n = 44). Intervention: The intervention group will receive access to an educational website and online quizzes with gamification elements, including information about healthy eating and physical activity. The control group will receive no information. Duration of the intervention will be 10 weeks. Measures of Outcome: Primary outcome is nutrition knowledge. Secondary outcomes include dietary and activity habits. Nutrition knowledge and dietary and activity habits will be assessed using questionnaires. Weekly steps will be counted using pedometers. Assessment of anthropometric and metabolic risk factors will take place. Analysis: Quantitative analysis will investigate changes in nutrition knowledge between the two groups of the study population. Linear regression analysis will be used, if the data follow the normal distribution (otherwise binomial regression analysis), to examine whether field of study, residence status, body mass index (BMI), and demographic factors affect nutrition knowledge. Associations between changes in knowledge and dietary and physical activity behavior will be assessed by correlations. Conclusions/Implications: The study will provide insights with regard to the design and use of online game-playing as a cost-effective approach to improve nutritional knowledge among university students.