Mobile Digital Health Intervention to Promote Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors Among Long-term Unemployed in Rural Areas: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Long-term unemployed have poor nutritional and physical activity statuses, and, therefore, special health promotion needs. Particularly in rural areas, however, they often do not have access to health promotion service. Thus, new promising strategies to improve the health of long-term unemployed are needed. Hence, a digital health intervention to promote nutritional and physical health behaviors was conceived, and the effectiveness of the intervention in combination with face-to-face sessions will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to elucidate the effectiveness of a mobile digital health intervention to promote the nutritional and physical activity behaviors of long-term unemployed in the rural areas of Germany. METHODS: The 9-week intervention aims to promote nutritional or physical activity behavior by improving drinking habits, increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, increasing daily step count, strengthening muscles, and improving endurance. The intervention design is based on the transtheoretical model and is implemented in a mobile app using the MobileCoach open-source platform. The effectiveness of the intervention will be elucidated by a 9-week, 2-armed, parallel-designed trial. Therefore, long-term unemployed will be recruited by employees of the German social sector institutions and randomized either to receive information brochures; the digital intervention in the form of a mobile app; and 3 face-to-face sessions regarding technical support, healthy eating, and physical activity (n=100) or to receive a control treatment consisting of solely the hand over of information brochures (n=100). The effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed using questionnaires at baseline, after 9 weeks in face-to-face appointments, and after a 3-month follow-up period by postal contact. The use of the mobile app will be monitored, and qualitative interviews or focus groups with the participants will be conducted. Incentives of €50 (US $49.7) will be paid to the participants and are tied to the completion of the questionnaires and not to the use of the mobile app or progress in the intervention. RESULTS: The effectiveness of the intervention in promoting the nutritional and physical activity behaviors of long-term unemployed participants will be elucidated. The adherence of the participants to and the acceptance and usability of the mobile device app will be evaluated. Recruitment started in March 2022, and the final publication of the results is expected in the first half of 2023. CONCLUSIONS: Positive health-related changes made by the intervention would display the potency of digital health interventions to promote nutritional and physical activity behaviors among long-term unemployed in the rural areas of Germany, which would also contribute to an improved health status of the German population in general. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00024805; https://www.drks.de/DRKS00024805 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/40321