cMIND AI Web Tool Usability Study (Hong Kong)

July 24, 2026 updated by: Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Development and Validation of a Web-Based AI System for Assessing the Cantonese-Style Mediterranean Diet (cMIND) Index

This study is testing a new web-based tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help older adults in Hong Kong check how healthy their Cantonese-style meals are for brain health. The tool is based on the cMIND diet, a Chinese-adapted version of a known healthy eating pattern that may support memory and thinking skills.

Participants will use the web app to take photos of their usual meals for at least 10 days over two weeks. The AI will automatically identify ingredients and give a score showing how well the meal follows the cMIND diet. The study will also ask participants to complete a short questionnaire and a brief interview to find out how easy and useful the tool is for older adults.

The purpose of this small study is to see whether the AI tool is user-friendly and acceptable for older people. Results will help improve the tool for future use to support healthy ageing and brain health.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common among older adults and can progress to dementia. Diet plays an important role in brain health. The cMIND diet is a culturally adapted Chinese version of the Mediterranean-DASH diet, designed to support cognitive function. However, many older adults find it difficult to track their adherence to this diet using traditional methods.

This study is developing and testing a simple web-based AI tool to help older adults in Hong Kong monitor their Cantonese-style meals. Users take photos of their meals (such as dim sum, stir-fries, or congee) using the web app. The AI automatically identifies ingredients in mixed dishes and calculates a cMIND adherence score (0-12), giving immediate personalised feedback on how well the meal supports brain health.

The main part of the study is a small usability and acceptability test. We will recruit 20 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above who regularly eat Cantonese-style meals. Participants should not have a self-reported diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or other psychiatric/medical conditions that would interfere with participation or valid outcome assessment.

Eligible participants will receive a 20-minute training session on how to use the web tool. They will then use the app to photograph their usual meals for at least 10 days over a two-week period, without changing their normal eating habits.

At the end of the two weeks, participants will complete a short online questionnaire about the ease of use and usefulness of the tool. They will also take part in one short individual interview (about 20 minutes, audio-recorded) to share their experiences and suggestions.

This low-risk study aims to understand whether older adults find the AI tool easy and acceptable to use in daily life. The results will help improve the prototype for future larger studies. All data will be kept strictly confidential, and ethics approval has been obtained from the Hong Kong Metropolitan University Research Ethics Committee (Reference: HE-FRSE/2026/08).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above in Hong Kong who regularly consume Cantonese-style meals.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 60 years or above
  • Community-dwelling in Hong Kong
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Basic ability to use a smartphone or tablet (with assistance if needed)
  • Consuming Cantonese-style meals as the primary dietary pattern for ≥ 5 days per week for the past 3 months or longer)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe visual or motor impairment that prevents taking meal photos even with assistance
  • Self-reported diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, or other psychiatric/medical conditions that would interfere with participation or valid outcome assessment
  • Current participation in other interventional nutrition or technology studies

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
cMIND Usability Group
Community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above in Hong Kong who regularly consume Cantonese-style meals. This single-group feasibility and usability study evaluates the ease of use and acceptability of a web-based AI tool that analyses meal photos and calculates a cMIND (Cantonese-style Mediterranean Diet) adherence score to support cognitive health monitoring.
Other: Web-Based AI Dietary Assessment System
A web-based AI software prototype designed specifically for older adults in Hong Kong. Users upload photographs of their usual Cantonese-style mixed meals (e.g., dim sum assortments, stir-fries with overlapping ingredients, or congee with toppings). The AI system automatically recognises multiple ingredients and sauces, estimates nutritional content using local food composition data, and calculates a cMIND adherence score (range 0-12). Immediate personalised feedback on dietary quality for brain health is provided. The tool is intended for dietary self-monitoring and does not involve any drug, physical device, or medical treatment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Usability and Acceptability of the Web-Based AI Tool
Time Frame: Assessed at the end of the 2-week testing period
Participants' perceived ease of use and acceptability of the AI web tool for photographing Cantonese meals and receiving cMIND dietary feedback.
Assessed at the end of the 2-week testing period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility of Meal Photo-Taking
Time Frame: Over the 2-week testing period
Proportion of participants able to complete at least 10 days of meal photos over the two-week period.
Over the 2-week testing period
Qualitative User Feedback
Time Frame: At the end of the 2-week testing period
Participants' experiences, challenges, and suggestions regarding the web tool, collected through semi-structured interviews.
At the end of the 2-week testing period

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Chow Ka-Man, Ph.D., Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 24, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FRSF/2026/08

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data (including meal photos, cMIND scores, and usability questionnaire responses) will be made available upon reasonable request after publication of the main results. A data dictionary will be provided.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Start Date: 6 months after publication of the main study results End Date: 5 years after study completion (January 2033)

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

IPD and supporting documents (study protocol, informed consent form, and data dictionary) will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request for the purpose of academic research or meta-analysis. Requests should be directed to the Principal Investigator (Dr. Ariel Chow Ka Man) via email.

A formal data sharing agreement will be required. The agreement will specify the purpose of data use, data security requirements, and prohibition of re-identification of participants. Requests will be reviewed by the Principal Investigator and co-investigators to ensure scientific merit and compliance with ethics requirements. Data will be provided in de-identified format.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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