An interventional study of Live Long, Heart Strong (LLHS) Digital Nutrition Intervention and Static Digital Nutrition Education Toolkit in Eating Behavior Changes, sponsored by Texas A&M University. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 25 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-05.
Sponsored by Texas A&M University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
Live Long, Heart Strong (LLHS) is a theory-guided, digital twin-supported nutrition intervention designed to promote cardiovascular health behaviors among emerging adults (18-25 years). Developed using a human-centered design approach and informed by Social Cognitive Theory, the intervention incorporates personalized nutrition education, interactive learning activities, goal setting, self-monitoring, quizzes, youth-informed educational videos, tailored feedback, reminders, and gamification to support healthy eating behaviors and improve dietary quality.
In this pilot randomized controlled trial, participants will be randomly assigned to either the LLHS intervention or an active comparator consisting of a static, non-personalized digital nutrition education toolkit containing similar evidence-based educational content without personalization, interactivity, or behavioral support features. The study will evaluate implementation outcomes (feasibility, usability, acceptability, and appropriateness), changes in psychosocial and behavioral outcomes related to healthy eating, and preliminary cardiovascular-related health indicators. Findings will inform continued refinement of the LLHS intervention and the design of a future fully powered efficacy trial.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and many modifiable risk factors begin to develop during emerging adulthood. This developmental period represents an important opportunity to establish lifelong dietary habits and other health-promoting behaviors that support long-term cardiovascular health. However, emerging adults often encounter barriers to healthy eating, including limited nutrition knowledge and food preparation skills, financial constraints, time pressures, and increasing independence in food-related decision making. Existing nutrition interventions frequently do not address these developmental and contextual challenges or sustain long-term engagement.
The Live Long, Heart Strong (LLHS) intervention was developed to address these gaps through a theory-guided digital nutrition intervention specifically designed for emerging adults. Intervention development follows a human-centered design approach, incorporating iterative input from emerging adults throughout the design and refinement process to improve the relevance, usability, and acceptability of intervention content and features. The intervention is informed by Social Cognitive Theory and incorporates evidence-based behavior change methods designed to strengthen behavioral capability, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation, with the goal of improving dietary behaviors that support long-term cardiovascular health.
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two study arms. The experimental group will receive access to the LLHS digital intervention, which includes personalized nutrition education, interactive learning activities, goal setting, self-monitoring, quizzes, youth-informed educational videos, tailored feedback, reminders, gamification, and digital twin-supported personalized guidance. The active comparator group will receive access to a static, non-personalized digital nutrition education toolkit containing similar evidence-based educational information presented without personalization, tailoring, interactivity, or behavioral support features.
The primary objectives of this pilot randomized controlled trial are to evaluate the feasibility, usability, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the LLHS intervention relative to the active comparator. Primary outcomes include implementation outcomes (usability, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility). Secondary outcomes include changes in Social Cognitive Theory constructs, nutrition literacy, and dietary quality assessed using the Healthy Eating Index. In addition, participants will complete in-person baseline and post-intervention assessments of skin carotenoid levels using the VeggieMeter and other anthropometric and cardiovascular-related health indicators (e.g., body mass index, waist circumference, and resting blood pressure) to evaluate the feasibility of these measurements and explore preliminary intervention-related changes. Participant demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including measures such as food security, financial status, living conditions, and other relevant characteristics, will also be collected to characterize the target population and inform interpretation of intervention effects. Findings from this pilot trial will inform continued refinement of the LLHS intervention, establish the feasibility of study procedures and outcome assessments, and provide preliminary evidence to support a future fully powered efficacy trial.
985 studies on the registry are indexed under Feeding Behavior; 178 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 77 across 700 interventional studies indexed under Feeding Behavior.
Browse Feeding Behavior studies →Texas A&M University is the lead sponsor of 123 studies on the registry; 23 are open to participants now.
Of its 7 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (29%) have results posted.
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Participants are eligible if they:
Participants are excluded if they:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants assigned to this arm will receive access to the Live Long, Heart Strong (LLHS) digital nutrition intervention. The intervention was developed using a human-centered design approach and is informed by Social Cognitive Theory. It includes personalized nutrition education, interactive learning activities, quizzes, goal setting, self-monitoring, tailored feedback, reminders, gamification, and youth-informed educational content designed to promote healthy eating behaviors for cardiovascular disease prevention among emerging adults.
Behavioral: Live Long, Heart Strong (LLHS) Digital Nutrition Intervention
Participants assigned to this arm will receive access to a static, non-personalized digital nutrition education toolkit containing evidence-based information related to healthy eating and cardiovascular disease prevention. The toolkit provides educational content comparable in topic to the experimental intervention but does not include personalization, interactive activities, tailored feedback, goal setting, self-monitoring, reminders, or gamification. The active comparator was selected to control for exposure to evidence-based digital nutrition education while allowing evaluation of the added effects of the personalized, interactive, and Social Cognitive Theory-informed behavior change components incorporated into LLHS.
Behavioral: Static Digital Nutrition Education Toolkit
The Live Long, Heart Strong (LLHS) Digital Nutrition Intervention is a theory-guided behavioral intervention developed using a human-centered design approach and informed by Social Cognitive Theory. The intervention is designed to promote healthy eating behaviors for cardiovascular disease prevention among emerging adults through a personalized digital platform. Participants receive tailored nutrition education, interactive learning activities, goal setting, self-monitoring, quizzes, youth-informed educational videos, tailored feedback, reminders, and gamification. Intervention content focuses on developing knowledge, behavioral capability, self-efficacy, observational learning, outcome expectations, and self-regulation to support sustainable dietary behavior change.
Also known as: LLHS, LLHS Digital Intervention
The Static Digital Nutrition Education Toolkit is an active comparator consisting of evidence-based digital educational materials related to healthy eating and cardiovascular disease prevention. Participants receive the same general educational topics as the experimental group through a static, non-personalized digital format. The toolkit does not include interactive activities, personalization, tailored feedback, goal setting, self-monitoring, reminders, or gamification.
Also known as: Digital Nutrition Toolkit, Static Nutrition Toolkit
Intervention Feasibility
Feasibility of the LLHS intervention, assessed by participant retention, intervention completion, and adherence throughout the study.
Time frame: Baseline through end of the intervention (8 weeks)
Intervention Usability
Usability of the LLHS digital intervention will be assessed using the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ). The MAUQ is a 21-item instrument with scores ranging from 1 to 7, where higher scores indicate greater perceived usability of the mobile health application.
Time frame: End of the intervention (8 weeks)
Intervention Acceptability
Acceptability of the LLHS digital intervention will be assessed using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM). The AIM is a 4-item instrument with scores ranging from 1 to 5, where higher scores indicate greater perceived acceptability of the intervention.
Time frame: End of the intervention (8 weeks)
Self-Efficacy for Healthy Eating
Healthy eating self-efficacy will be assessed using the 7-item Healthy Eating subscale of the Healthy Eating and Weight Self-Efficacy (HEWSE) Scale. Scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater confidence in one's ability to make and maintain healthy eating behaviors.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention, approximately 8 weeks
Dietary Quality
Dietary quality will be assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020) calculated from dietary recall data. HEI-2020 scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and higher overall dietary quality.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention, approximately 8 weeks
Nutrition Literacy
Nutrition literacy will be assessed using the Young Adult Nutrition Literacy Tool (YA-NLT). Total scores range from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater nutrition literacy.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention (approximately 8 weeks)
Self-Regulation for Healthy Eating
Self-regulation for healthy eating will be assessed using the Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ). Total scores range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater self-regulation of eating behaviors.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention (approximately 8 weeks)
Body Mass Index
Body mass index (kg/m²) calculated from measured height and weight collected during in-person study visits.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention (~8 weeks)
Waist Circumference
Waist circumference measured using standardized anthropometric procedures to provide a preliminary indicator of central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention (~8 weeks)
Resting Blood Pressure
Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure measured using a validated automated blood pressure monitor.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention
Skin Carotenoid Score
Skin carotenoid levels will be assessed using the VeggieMeter as an exploratory biomarker of fruit and vegetable intake. Skin carotenoid scores range from 0 to 800, with higher scores indicating higher skin carotenoid concentrations and greater habitual fruit and vegetable intake.
Time frame: Baseline and end of intervention, approximately 8 weeks
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be made publicly available because the dataset contains potentially identifiable information collected from a relatively small study population. De-identified aggregate results will be reported in scientific publications and presentations. Data sharing beyond published results may be considered on a case-by-case basis following publication, subject to institutional policies, ethical approval, and applicable data use agreements.
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