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Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05220631

Digital Nutrition Intervention for Older Adults

The "digital divide" or gap in technological access and knowledge, for older adults has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to disruptions in services like congregate meal programs funded by the Older Americans Act. Seven San Antonio congregate meal sites remained partially open biweekly to distribute meals but no longer offer in-person nutrition education, physical activity classes, and social activities. The proposed project will test the efficacy of digital nutrition intervention with at-risk older adults who attend congregate meal center in areas of high poverty and digital exclusion.

The study is uses a stepped-wedge cluster clinical trial. Key community partners with the Department of Health Services Senior Services Division and Older Adult Technology Services (OATS) will participate in the planning phase, research design, and implementation of the study.

The study aims are:

1. To test the impact of a technology-based intervention on the primary outcomes of food security and diet quality; 2. To determine the effect of the intervention on secondary outcomes of technology knowledge and usage, physical activity, and social isolation and loneliness; 3. To examine the long-term impact and sustainability of technology use on food security, diet quality, physical activity, and social isolation.

If successful, the impact of this program could be applied throughout the national OATS network and to similar CMPs to bridge the digital divide beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Nutrition Poor Behavior Malnutrition Motor Activity Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Physical Inactivity Sedentary Behavior Social Behavior Social Isolation

Age range

60 year–120 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas, 78249, United States

About this study

This project will target community-dwelling older adults who are "congregate meal" program (CMP) participants living in areas at-risk of the digital divide. The CMP is funded by the Older Americans Act and serves over 2000 San Antonio older adults who live 33% below the poverty level and 18% considered at high nutritional risk. During the pandemic, seven San Antonio sites in areas with high poverty and digital exclusion remain partially open biweekly to distribute meals but did not hold in-person nutrition education, physical activity classes, and social activities. The proposed project extends existing congregate meal programming infrastructure and partnerships with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), a national leader in creating health service programs focusing on older adults. The goal of the proposed study is to remove the digital barrier to receiving essential, evidence-based nutrition programming online, utilizing OATS' five-week technology "Essential Series," which has successfully educated thousands of older adults nationwide by providing support for technology and internet connectivity.

This proposed nutrition intervention will enrolled congregate meal participants using a stepped-wedge cluster design with two cohorts to allow for sequential intervention enrollment with simultaneous control and intervention data collection timepoints. Key community partners within Department of Health Services Senior Services Division and OATS will participate in the planning phase, research design, and implementation of the study. Feedback from congregate meal participants in focus groups will guide the development of the intervention.

The 20-week intervention will include 5 weeks technology training, including internet access and devices, followed by 15 weeks of a culturally tailored nutrition intervention via online sessions. The study will recruit 440 older adult from seven at-risk congregate meal sites. Data will be collected at baseline (T0), during the online intervention (T1), after the online intervention (T2) and 6 months post-intervention (T3).

The successful outcome of our study will be impactful because of the potential broader application of this program throughout the national OATS network and to similar CMPs to bridge the digital divide through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 60 years of age
  • Inadequate or no working technology device (computer, smart-phone, tablet), no or poor internet connectivity at home, or lack of knowledge and usage of technology
  • Food insecurity or low diet quality

Exclusion criteria

  • Blind
  • Terminal disease or illness
  • Diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's disease
  • Unable to read or write in English or Spanish

Treatment and study plan

Technology intervention

Behavioral

Older Adult Technology Services (OATS) 5-week technology intervention

Digital Nutrition Intervention

Behavioral

15-week nutrition intervention delivered completely online

Primary outcomes

  1. Diet Quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index

    Time frame: Change in diet quality from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls will be collected and the Healthy Index will be calculated to determine diet quality.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Food Security

    Time frame: Change in food security from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Food security measured by the USDA's US Adult Food Security Survey Module

  2. Physical Activity

    Time frame: Change in physical activity from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Physical activity measured by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE)

  3. Technology Use and Access

    Time frame: Change in technology use and access from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Technology use questionnaire from the National Health & Aging Trends Study

  4. Attitudes Towards Technology

    Time frame: Change in attitudes towards technology from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Adapted from Attitudes Towards Computers Questionnaire (ATCQ)

  5. Social Isolation

    Time frame: Change in social isolation from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Social isolation measured by The Social Disconnectedness Scale and the Perceived Isolation Scale

  6. Loneliness

    Time frame: Change in loneliness from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Loneliness assessed by the 3-item UCAL Loneliness Scale

  7. Malnutrition

    Time frame: Change in malnutrition from baseline to 3 and 6 months

    Malnutrition measured by the Mini Nutrition Assessment Short-Form

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Other

Collaborators

  • Agile Analytics, LLC
  • City of San Antonio Department of Human Services
  • National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
  • Older Adult Technology Services

Registry information

Official study title

A Technological Intervention to Improve Nutrition Among Older Adult Congregate Meal Participants During COVID-19

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2026
First posted
Feb 2, 2022
Registry last updated
Dec 16, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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