Randomized Pilot Study Examining an Online Diet Intervention to Increase Intake of Fruits and Vegetables Among Healthy Adults.

Abstract

Intake of fruits and vegetables (F&V) is related to health outcomes. The purpose of the study was to test an online diet program promoting F&V intake among healthy adults. Twenty-three participants were randomly assigned to complete an 8-week intervention condition (#800gChallenge®) or wait-list control condition. In weeks 1-4, intervention participants were asked to interact with an application reporting (a) whether they met their daily 800g F&V goal, (b) if their 800g of F&V was from a variety of sources, and (c) reading of daily educational material. Weeks 1-4 included weekly Zoom check-in meetings. Weeks 5-8 were autonomous, wherein participants reported in the application information regarding their 800g F&V goal. At baseline, 4-weeks, and 8-weeks, the participants were prompted to complete three Automated Self-Administered Dietary Assessment tool (ASA24) 24-hour diet recalls for generating Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores indicating diet quality. A two-way ANOVA was used to examine differences between the intervention and control groups in HEI total score, total vegetable, total fruit, and whole fruit component scores at baseline, 4-weeks, and 8-weeks. While no statistically significant differences in HEI scores were observed between groups, the intervention group showed promising improvements over the 8-week period. Notably, the intervention group increased their mean HEI total score, along with substantial gains in their total vegetable and total fruit consumption, indicating the intervention's potential for promoting healthier dietary patterns. These findings underscore the need for ongoing research to develop eHealth interventions of optimal duration and intensity that can drive meaningful improvements in the health of adults with poor diet quality.