Promoting healthy eating to children: a text message (SMS) feedback approach

The paper presents the design and results of a goal-setting and feedback intervention aimed at increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. The intervention involved 256 Danish adolescents (aged 12), and consisted of a nutrition education programme and an SMS based diary and feedback procedure that involved setting and modifying consumption goals. Effects were measured by comparing consumption goals and consumption data from the SMS diaries as well as from pre- and post-intervention surveys. In addition to assessing the effects of the intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables, an objective of the study was to evaluate the intervention process in terms of attrition and goal accommodation behaviours. Based on the pre-intervention survey, the sample was split into two groups consisting of pupils with low vs. high intake of fruits and vegetables. The diary and feedback design resulted in low attrition for both groups of pupils. Contrary to expectations, however, pupils with a high vs. low pre-intervention intake were not less likely to reduce their intake goals during the intervention. For the pupils with low pre-intervention intake, the intervention resulted in small but significant increases in consumption frequencies, whereas the partial effect of the SMS routines was only marginally positive. Unexpectedly, the pupils with a high pre-intervention intake reduced their consumption of fruits and vegetables during the intervention.