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NCT Number: NCT07718646

Mobile Health Coping Intervention for Mothers Experiencing Food Insecurity

This is a pilot study testing a mobile app that is designed to help mothers experiencing food insecurity manage stress and build coping skills. Participants will use the app for 8 weeks and complete surveys about their experiences, mental health, and coping. The study will help us learn whether the app is helpful and feasible for future research.

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Key information

Conditions

Food Insecurity Anxiety Disorders Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Depression Mental Disorders Personal Satisfaction Psychological Well-Being Stress, Psychological

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Rachel Liebe

CONTACT

[email protected]

405-744-5043

About this study

This is a single-arm pilot study enrolling mothers experiencing food insecurity. Because this is a pilot feasibility study, no comparison group is included. Eligible participants will complete baseline assessments before beginning the intervention, including measures of food security, mental health symptoms, coping strategies, and related psychosocial factors. Participants will then complete an eight-week fully mHealth-based intervention using the Univeristy of Oklahoma Insight mHealth mobile application.

Throughout the intervention, participants will receive 3 daily messages focused on building coping skills, managing stress, and supporting mental well-being. The app includes educational modules, goal-setting activities, coping exercises, daily check-ins, and supportive messages. Participants will engage with the app at their own pace and will receive brief assessments and messages throughout the intervention period.

After completing the eight-week intervention, participants will complete post-intervention assessments to evaluate changes in mental health, coping, and intervention acceptability and feasibility. A subset of participants will also be invited to complete a follow-up interview to provide feedback on their experiences using the app, including facilitators and barriers to engagement.

This pilot study will provide preliminary information on the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a cognitive behavioral therapy-informed mHealth intervention to support mental health among mothers experiencing food insecurity.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Reside in Oklahoma
  • Identify as a woman or non-binary
  • At least 18 years old
  • Have a child under 18 years old living in your household
  • Experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days

Exclusion criteria

  • Currently undergoing mental health counseling
  • No access to a smartphone (Apple or Android)

Treatment and study plan

MOMent

Behavioral

An 8-week behavioral intervention delivered through a mobile application that combines multiple behavior change techniques, including coping education, self-monitoring, goal setting, and skill-building reflections The intervention is designed to help participants develop and practice coping strategies to manage stress and improve mental well-being.

Primary outcomes

  1. Recruitment feasibility

    Time frame: Evaluated throughout recruitment and at completion of the recruitment period

    Percentage (%) of eligible individuals who enroll in the study among all individuals determined eligible through the screening survey. Higher percentages indicate greater recruitment feasibility.

  2. Intervention retention

    Time frame: Measured from enrollment through completion of post-intervention data collection (8 weeks)

    Percentage (%) of enrolled participants who complete the post-intervention assessment. Higher percentages indicate greater retention.

  3. App Engagement

    Time frame: Measured throughout the 8-week intervention period

    Intervention engagement assessed using Insight application analytics, including number of intervention messages opened, number of weekly goal-setting activities completed, and interactions with intervention content. Greater values indicate higher engagement.

  4. Usability

    Time frame: Measured at post-intervention (8 weeks)

    Systems Usability Scale (SUS) total score (range 0-100). Higher scores indicate greater usability; scores >68 indicate above-average usability.

  5. Participant Acceptability

    Time frame: Measured at post-intervention (8 weeks)

    Program satisfaction assessed using investigator-developed 5-point Likert-scale items evaluating intervention acceptability. Mean scores range from 1-5, with higher scores indicate greater acceptability.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Food Security Status

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post intervention (8 weeks)

    USDA 18-item Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) raw score assessing household, adult, and child food security over the previous 30 days. Scores range from 0-18, with higher scores indicate greater food insecurity.

  2. Cognitive Functioning

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post intervention (8 weeks)

    Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Cognitive Function Short Form and PROMIS Cognitive Function Abilities Short Form 6a T-scores assessing perceived cognitive functioning. T scores have an average of 50, and 10 is one standard deviation. Higher scores indicate better cognitive functioning.

  3. Anxiety Symptoms

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post intervention (8 weeks)

    Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) total score (range 0-21). Higher scores indicate greater anxiety symptom severity.

  4. Depressive Symptoms

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post intervention (8 weeks)

    Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) total score (range 0-27). Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptom severity.

  5. Coping Behaviors

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post intervention (8 weeks)

    Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE) questionnaire scores assessing coping quantity and coping style. Scores are calculated according to the Brief COPE scoring protocol; higher scores indicate greater use of each coping strategy. Mean scores range from 1 to 4.

  6. Diet Quality

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post intervention (8 weeks)

    Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) score are the output from the National Cancer Institute Diet History Questionnaire III (DHQ III) survey. Higher scores indicate better overall diet quality (score range: 0-100).

  7. Food resource management

    Time frame: Measured at baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks).

    A subset of problem-focused coping, food resource management, will be assessed with an adapted version of items from the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) questionnaire. Scores range from Never (0) to Always (5), with higher mean scores indicating more food resource management behaviors.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Rachel Liebe

CONTACT

[email protected]

405-744-5043

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Oklahoma State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Mobile Health Coping Intervention for Mothers Experiencing Food Insecurity: a CBT-informed Pilot Study

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 22, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 22, 2026

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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