An interventional study of Personalised behavioural sustainable and healthy dietary recommendations and Personalised sustainable and healthy dietary recommendations in Dietary Behaviours, Sustainable Healthy Diet and Personalised Nutrition, sponsored by University College Dublin. Completed at 1 site in Ireland. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 30 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-04-18.
Sponsored by University College Dublin · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The aim of this study is to test the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel, behaviour-focused personalised nutrition intervention compared to a control personalised nutrition intervention for improving adherence to sustainable and healthy dietary recommendations in university students.
Participants will be recruited from the University College Dublin (UCD) PLAN'EAT Living Lab (LL) Citizen Panel which will form a separate registration. The UCD PLAN'EAT LL is a series of studies designed to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to support University students' transition towards a sustainable healthy diet. The UCD PLAN'EAT LL study will recruit up to n=500 healthy students (aged 18-30 years) attending UCD, Belfield Campus, to join the UCD PLAN'EAT LL Citizen Panel. Upon successful screening and completion of informed consent, participants will be invited to join the UCD PLAN'EAT LL Citizen Panel and complete initial baseline data collection measures (which will be detailed in a separate registration). Following completion of this baseline data collection, participants within the UCD PLAN'EAT LL Citizen Panel will be subsequently invited to participate in this study detailed below.
Participants within the UCD PLAN'EAT LL Citizen Panel will be invited to participate in a 4-week study. This study will aim to recruit n=40 participants within the UCD PLAN'EAT LL Citizen Panel. After successful screening and informed consent, participants will be randomised into two separate groups (n=20 control group; n=20 intervention group) receiving different types of personalised recommendations and strategies using decision tree algorithms to support them to consume a healthier and more sustainable diet. The control group will receive a personalised dietary plan and standardised behavioural support (based on previous personalised nutrition trials and usual care in dietetic practice) to meet their personalised dietary recommendations. The intervention group will receive the same as the control group, with the addition of receiving personalised behavioural support and strategies to help them meet their personalised dietary recommendations.
Baseline: Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire including questions on demographics, health, dietary behaviours, and lifestyle and a dietary assessment. The dietary assessment will include 3 online 24-hour dietary recalls (2 non-consecutive weekdays and 1 weekend day) (via the web-based dietary recall tool, Foodbook24).
Following completion of baseline measures, participants will be invited to attend a study visit in UCD. Participants will undergo a diet counselling session, where they will receive a personalised feedback report and advice from a nutritionist on how to achieve their goal of eating a more sustainable and healthy diet.
Midpoint: Participants will be contacted by a member of the research team via email or phone message to check their progression and to address any queries.
Endpoint: At the end of the 4-week study, participants will complete a diet-related questionnaire and a second dietary assessment. The dietary assessment will include 3 online 24-hour dietary recalls (2 non-consecutive weekdays and 1 weekend day) (via the web-based dietary recall tool, Foodbook24).
Following completion of endpoint measures, retention rates (number of participants who complete endpoint measures / number of participants enrolled into the study x 100) and data completion rates (number of complete datasets for each outcome measure / number of participants enrolled ×100) will be calculated to assess study feasibility and acceptability.
Process Evaluation:
At the end of this study, all participants will be invited to complete a study evaluation questionnaire including feasibility, acceptability, and engagement measures. In addition, a subsample of participants will also be invited to participate in focus groups or one-to-one interviews to explore topics on study feasibility encompassing, for example, their study experience, study acceptability, factors affecting participation rates (e.g., barriers/ enablers), study engagement, and suggestions for improvement. The focus groups or one-to-one interviews will be guided by the APEASE (Acceptability, Practicality, Effectiveness, Affordability, Side-effects, Equity) criteria.
University College Dublin is the lead sponsor of 108 studies on the registry; 31 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Student Participants:
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Personalised dietary plan, standardised behavioural support (based on previous personalised nutrition trials and usual care in dietetic practice), plus personalised behavioural support and strategies aimed at meeting personalised dietary recommendations.
Behavioral: Personalised behavioural sustainable and healthy dietary recommendations
Personalised dietary plan and standardised behavioural support (based on previous personalised nutrition trials and usual care in dietetic practice) aimed at meeting personalised dietary recommendations.
Behavioral: Personalised sustainable and healthy dietary recommendations
Personalised dietary plan and standardised behavioural support (based on previous personalised nutrition trials and usual care in dietetic practice), plus the addition of receiving personalised behavioural support and strategies.
Personalised dietary plan and standardised behavioural support and strategies (based on previous personalised nutrition trials and usual care in dietetic practice).
Legume intake (grams per day)
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. Legume intake will be calculated using dietary intake records (baseline: 3x 24-hour recalls; endpoint: 3x 24-hour recalls). The primary outcome measure is the change in legume intake (g/ day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Plant-based food intake (grams per day)
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. Plant-based food intake will be calculated using dietary intake records (baseline: 3x 24-hour recalls; endpoint: 3x 24-hour recalls). The secondary outcome measure is the change in plant-based food intake (g/ day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Fruit intake (grams per day)
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. Fruit intake will be calculated using dietary intake records (baseline: 3x 24-hour recalls; endpoint: 3x 24-hour recalls). The secondary outcome measure is the change in fruit intake (g/ day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Vegetable intake (grams per day)
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. Vegetable intake will be calculated using dietary intake records (baseline: 3x 24-hour recalls; endpoint: 3x 24-hour recalls). The secondary outcome measure is the change in vegetable intake (g/ day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Meat intake (grams per day)
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. Meat intake will be calculated using dietary intake records (baseline: 3x 24-hour recalls; endpoint: 3x 24-hour recalls). The secondary outcome measure is the change in meat intake (g/ day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
High fat, sugar, salt (HFSS) food intake (grams per day)
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. High fat, sugar, and salt food intake will be calculated using dietary intake records (baseline: 3x 24-hour recalls; endpoint: 3x 24-hour recalls). The secondary outcome measure is the change in high fat, sugar, and salt food intake (g/ day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Feasibility
Following completion of endpoint measures, retention rates (number of participants who complete endpoint measures / number of participants enrolled into the study x 100) will be calculated to assess study feasibility and acceptability.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Feasibility
Following completion of endpoint measures, data completion rates (number of complete datasets for each outcome measure / number of participants enrolled × 100) will be calculated to assess study feasibility and acceptability.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Diet-related greenhouse gas emissions reported as kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents per day
Participants will record their diet at baseline (habitual diet) and endpoint (intervention diet) using an online 24-hour recall method. Diet-related greenhouse gas emissions will be estimated using food, nutrient and food-related greenhouse gas emission databases (measured as kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents). The tertiary outcome measure is the change in diet-related greenhouse gas emissions (kgCO2-eq/day) as a result of the intervention diet.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Self-reported behavioural automaticity index
Participants will record their self-reported behavioural automaticity at baseline and endpoint via a questionnaire. Each participant's score can range from 4-28 (with 4 indicating low behavioural automaticity and 28 indicating high behavioural automaticity). The quaternary outcome measure is the change in participants self-reported behavioural automaticity as a result of the intervention.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Process Evaluation
At the end of this study, participants will complete an evaluation questionnaire. A subsample of participants will be invited to participate in focus groups or one-to-one interviews. Participants will evaluate study feasibility on topics encompassing: study experience, study acceptability, factors affecting participation rates (barriers and enablers), study engagement and suggestions for improvement. The quinary outcome is participants evaluation of this study.
Time frame: 4 weeks
Plan to share: No — At the beginning of the study, each participant will have a study code assigned to them. All data collected from the study will be stored using these unique study codes. A file will be set up which will be stored in a separate location to the study data. This file will contain a list which will link each participants contact details to the corresponding ID code. All stored information will be password-protected and only accessible to the research team/ named researchers on the project. Pseudonymised/ anonymised data will be shared with PLAN'EAT partners where appropriate.
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University College Dublin