Reminders to help you log your meals
Official title: Reminder Strategies to Improve Meal-Logging Adherence
Run by University of St.Gallen · NCT07555262 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study tests whether loss-framed or streak-feedback reminders help adults 45 and older in Switzerland log meals with a phone app more often than neutral reminders.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 45 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 200 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of St.Gallen Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Sankt Gallen, Canton of St. Gallen) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | December 8, 2025 |
| Main results expected | January 2027 |
| Study ends | January 2027 |
| Registry record updated | May 5, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07555262 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are German-speaking Swiss residents or workers aged 45 or older with BMI ≥25 who own and can use a smartphone and do not have major cardiometabolic diseases or other exclusionary conditions.
✕Probably not a fit
People under 45, with BMI under 25, with diabetes or major cardiac/renal disease, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who do not have a compatible smartphone or German language ability are unlikely to qualify or benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Adults aged 45+ with BMI ≥25 who live or work in German-speaking Switzerland use a smartphone app to take image-based meal logs and receive three automated reminders daily. Before each habitual mealtime the system micro-randomizes which message they get: a loss-framed reminder, a logging-consistency (streak) reminder, or a neutral reminder. The main outcome is whether a participant uploads a meal image within two hours after a reminder, so researchers can estimate the immediate effect of each message type. The single-center design uses within-person randomization to compare short-term adherence across reminder types.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these reminders could increase short-term meal-logging adherence and help people monitor their eating more reliably to support weight-management efforts.
How similar studies have gone: Previous mobile-health and message-framing studies have reported mixed but sometimes promising short-term adherence effects, and micro-randomized designs are increasingly used to test momentary intervention impacts.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Citizens or residents of Switzerland who are German-speaking (main place of living or employment in Switzerland). * Age ≥45 years. * BMI ≥25 kg/m² (overweight or obese). * Regular access to a smartphone (iOS or Android) with a data plan. * Able to use smartphone applications. * Able to walk independently. Exclusion Criteria: * History of stroke, heart disease, renal failure, cancer, or diabetes (type 1 or type 2). * Past vascular bypass surgery or angioplasty. * Current or planned use of glucose-lowering medications during the upcoming 4 weeks (e.g., GLP-1 receptor agonists, metformin). * Pregnant or breastfeeding. * Relevant skin conditions at wearable placement sites (e.g., upper arm). * BMI \<25 kg/m² confirmed at enrollment. * FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L and/or HbA1c ≥6.5% (newly identified type 2 diabetes); Individuals who meet type-2 diabetes criteria at enrollment, based on Swiss/ADA diagnostic criteria will be informed of blood test results and referred to a GP. These individuals will be deemed ineligible and excluded from the study.
Where it's running
-
HOCH Health and School of Medicine, University of St. Gallen
Sankt Gallen, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Mia Jovanova, Dr.
- Email: mia.jovanova@unisg.ch
- Phone: +41 44 632 05 41
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.