The Effectiveness of Android App-Based Nutrition Education in Changing Vegetable and Fruit Consumption Behaviors Among Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62872/jn.v3i2.648Keywords:
Nutrition Education, mHealth, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.Abstract
Low vegetable and fruit (VF) intake remains a persistent dietary problem among adolescents, and Android-based applications are increasingly used as a medium for nutrition education. This study aimed to synthesize recent evidence on the effectiveness of Android and smartphone app-based nutrition education in changing adolescents' VF consumption behavior and to identify the design features associated with success. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guideline. Records were retrieved from a Consensus-based search and supplemented by Google Scholar, PubMed Central, DOAJ, and citation tracking, restricted to publications from 2022 to 2026 with active DOIs. Twenty-five sources met the inclusion criteria, comprising 14 empirical intervention studies and 11 reviews or contextual studies. The findings show a consistent pattern: app-based education reliably improves VF-related knowledge, whereas its effect on actual consumption is mixed. Interventions that combined personalized feedback, self-monitoring, gamification, and the involvement of teachers or school curricula produced more favorable behavioral outcomes, while stand-alone apps used for short periods frequently failed to change intake. User engagement emerged as the key mediator between exposure and behavior change. The study concludes that Android-based nutrition education is effective as a knowledge-building tool and becomes behaviorally effective when it is embedded in multicomponent, engagement-oriented programs designed together with adolescents.
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