DASH Cloud: Using Digital Health to Improve Adherence to the DASH Diet Among Women
Condition: Diet Modification; Hypertension; Women's Health; Cardiovascular Diseases; Digital Health
MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study will test whether a digital health intervention (DASH Cloud) using smartphones can
      improve diet quality among women at risk for cardiovascular disease. The DASH (Dietary
      Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet has been proven to lower blood pressure, yet
      dissemination efforts remain poor. This study aims to use technology to improve adherence to
      DASH.
    

Detailed description: 
      Specifically, this study aims to

        1. To test the feasibility of the DASH Cloud intervention compared to education control
           among women with prehypertension and hypertension via a 3-month randomized controlled
           trial.

        2. To evaluate the preliminary efficacy of the DASH Cloud intervention relative to
           education control on blood pressure, weight and medication adherence at 3 months.

      This study will enroll 50 adult women aged 21-70 with pre-hypertension or hypertension in a
      3-month randomized controlled trial to test the initial feasibility of DASH Cloud. Women will
      be randomized to either the DASH Cloud intervention or DASH Light and followed up 3 months
      post randomization. The investigators will recruit participants from the Durham, NC area.

      Women randomized to the DASH Cloud intervention will be asked to track their diet daily using
      a smartphone diet tracking app. Based on the foods/beverages entered, the intervention will
      send daily or weekly text messages with feedback about DASH adherence and information videos
      about how to follow DASH. Women randomized to DASH Light will also be asked to track their
      diet using the smartphone diet tracking app and will receive basic informational materials
      about DASH.
    

Intervention name(s): DASH Cloud; Nutritionix Track app
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): With DASH Cloud, the investigators will ask participants to track their diet daily using a commercial diet tracking app. The investigators will retrieve the diet data on our DASH Cloud platform and provide tailored feedback about a participant's DASH adherence via fully automated daily or weekly text messages. These feedback messages will describe both an individual's absolute performance and change over time. The investigators also include theory-driven tailored content that reinforces successes, offers motivational strategies, and offers short behavior change tips.; DASH Light Control participants will be asked to use the Nutritionix app daily and receive publicly available written materials on the DASH diet.
Other intervention name(s): DASH Light
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: 3-month randomized controlled trial to test the initial feasibility of DASH Cloud, a digital health intervention for women at risk for CVD
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment