Mobile Health (mHealth) Nutrition Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Condition: Diet Modification
MeSH terms: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The high prevalence of mealtime difficulties and obesity among children with autism spectrum
      disorder (ASD) calls for new and innovative ways to promote healthy eating and weight
      development in this population. This project aims to develop and test an interactive mobile
      health (mHealth) nutrition intervention, which incorporates core behavior change strategies
      that have been empirically tested in family-based nutrition research and behavioral
      interventions with children with ASD. The feasibility and efficacy of this mHealth
      intervention to improve dietary outcomes in children with ASD will be tested in a
      proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial.
    

Detailed description: 
      Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing developmental disability affecting more
      than 2 million US children and tens of millions worldwide. Children with ASD are 5 times more
      likely to have mealtime challenges and be picky eaters, which in part has been attributed to
      restrictive and ritualistic behaviors and heightened sensory sensitivity. These nutritional
      difficulties pose significant every day challenges for caregivers when it comes to child
      feeding and daily eating routines and call for new and innovative ways to promote healthy
      eating in children affected by ASD. The use of mobile technologies is rapidly increasing in
      children across all age groups. Children with ASD, in particular, often engage with mobile
      devices on a daily basis and mobile health (mHealth) technology has been shown to be an
      effective tool for improving behavioral, social, and communication skills in children with
      ASD. The investigators aim to harness the lure of technology and develop and test, for the
      first time, the feasibility and acceptability of an interactive mHealth nutrition
      intervention for children with ASD. This intervention will build upon core behavior change
      strategies that have been empirically tested in family-based nutrition research for over 3
      decades. A second aim of this project is to test, in a 3-month randomized controlled trial,
      the efficacy of the mHealth intervention on changing consumption of targeted healthy and less
      healthy foods and beverages in 6- to 10-year-old children with ASD who are picky eaters.
      Primary outcomes of this proof-of-concept trial will include 3-month changes in children's
      daily intake of fruits and vegetables, salty and sugary snacks, and sugar-sweetened
      beverages. Secondary outcomes will include parent and child engagement with the mHealth
      technology, motivation, user friendliness and ease of use. If successful, the use of this
      innovative mHealth nutrition intervention will offer new and powerful targets for
      intervention in improving dietary intake and the fight against childhood obesity in this
      especially vulnerable population of children.
    

Intervention name(s): Mobile Health Intervention
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): Mobile health intervention to promote healthy eating.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment