Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 19, 2019
Date Accepted: Jan 27, 2020
Development of the Foodbot Factory mHealth App for Child Nutrition Education: Design, Formative Evaluation, and User-Testing
ABSTRACT
Background:
Early nutrition interventions to improve food literacy skills and diet quality are critical to enhancing the nutritional status of children and preventing the development of chronic disease later in life. Despite the rise of mobile technology and mHealth apps and their known effectiveness for improving health behaviours, few evidence-based apps exist to help children learn about nutrition and healthy eating.
Objective:
To describe the iterative development of Foodbot Factory, a novel nutrition education app for children to use at home or in the classroom, and to present data from user testing experiments conducted to evaluate the app.
Methods:
A literature review and environmental scan of the app marketplace were conducted, and stakeholders were consulted to define the key concepts and content of Foodbot Factory. Dietitian and teacher stakeholders identified priority age groups and learning objectives. For user testing sessions, direct observation with a semi-structured form assessed engagement and usability. After gameplay, qualitative interviews and questionnaires were conducted with students to assess satisfaction, engagement, usability, and knowledge gained.
Results:
Environmental scan data revealed that few evidence-based apps exist, indicating the necessity of high-quality mHealth nutrition apps for children. A literature search identified key nutrients of concern for Canadian children, and effective behaviour change and gamification techniques that were included in the app. Foodbot Factory included characters (two scientists and Foodbots) who engage in fun and engaging dialogue and mini-games, with storylines about key healthy eating messages that link to the learning objectives. Five modules were developed: Drinks, Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Foods, Animal Protein Foods and Plant Protein Foods. In total, seven BCTs and three different gamified components were included in the app. Five user testing sessions were conducted in classrooms with Grade 4-7 students (ages 9-13). Data was used to inform the subsequent app iteration. The final user testing session demonstrated that students agreed they wanted to play Foodbot Factory again (70.6%), that the app is easy to use (70.6%), fun (87.5%), and the app goals were clearly presented (94.1%).
Conclusions:
Foodbot Factory is an engaging, educational, and useable mHealth intervention that can help children improve nutrition knowledge at home and at school. The use of an iterative development and testing approach allowed for significant improvements during each iteration, ensuring the app is aligned with the learning needs of the target audience.
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