Nutrition Outcomes Using a Randomized Intervention Via Smartphone on Dietary Habits (NOURISH)

October 5, 2026 updated by: Dr Syed Asad Ali, Aga Khan University

Effect of a Mobile Nutrition Application on Dietary Behaviour Among Adults in a Low- and Middle-Income Country: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this study is to learn if a nutritional smartphone application can improve the dietary habits in adults.

The main objectives are: To explore if the use of a nutritional mobile application can improve a) mindful eating b) dietary diversity c) self-regulation of eating behavior d) calories consumed from healthy food groups vs unhealthy food groups among adults living in a low and middle income country.

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

Participants will be assessed for eligibility. Those who are eligible will be randomly assigned to either intervention or control arm. The intervention group will be required to download the "Kalorist" application into their smartphones and will be guided about the activation of the application. The control group will only be observed. Both group will be requested to complete a baseline information survey form about their weight, waist circumference, eating habits (including mindful eating, self-regulation and food frequency questionnaire to measure dietary diversity and calorie intake) and nutrition related goals. After a period of 4 weeks both the groups will be re-assessed using the same survey instrument used previously, for endline information. Results will be compared both pre and post within the same group and intervention vs control group. The intervention group will additionally be requested to provide a user experience information for strength, weakness, opportunities and threat (SWOT) analysis for the application.

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.
Interventional

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.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

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.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Hanna K Tunio, MBBS, MPhil, MHPM
  • Phone Number: +922134864933
  • Email: hanna.tunio@aku.edu

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Sindh
      • Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, 75300
        • The Aga Khan University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Asad Ali

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults (>18 years old).
  • Owns a smartphone with internet access.
  • Can navigate the application in English.
  • Is willing to improve dietary habits.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant women.
  • Dietitians or nutrition professionals.
  • Current use of the same or a similar calorie/diet-tracking application.
  • Previous use of the same or a similar calorie/diet-tracking application.
  • Current participation in a structured weight-loss or dietary program.
  • Major medical conditions requiring a therapeutic diet.

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

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
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.
Experimental: Intervention Arm

This arm will be provided a nutritional mobile application.
Behavioral: Nutritional mobile phone application

Kalorist is a nutrition-coaching platform built for South Asian population (desis) all over the world, delivering the kind of personalized, evidence-based support a client gets working one-on-one with a nutritionist, via a mobile app. It follows an assess-guide-monitor-adjust cycle: participant profile data (age, height, weight, gender) and goals set individualized calorie and macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat) targets; participants log food by description, photo, or search, including local dishes and restaurants. Kal, an AI coach built inside, answers users' questions about their own patterns - why weight has plateaued or spiked, why cravings appear after skipping meals - using research-backed explanations rather than opinions, gives behavior- and habit-based guidance, and offers motivational support on request. Meal plans adapt to actual eating. KalLive gives an instant photo-based calorie/macro breakdown to save or share.

Other Names:
  • smartphone application
  • mhealth intervention
No Intervention: Control

This arm will be observed only

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
Mindful Eating Score
Time Frame: 4 weeks

A validated tool named "Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ)" will be used to obtain the mindful eating scores. 28-item questionnaire with subscales which includes Disinhibition, Awareness, External Cues, Emotional Response, Distraction. The minimum possible score is 1 while maximum score is 4. The higher score means more mindful eating.
4 weeks

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
Self-regulation for eating habits
Time Frame: 4 weeks

A validated tool "Self-regulation of Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (SREBQ)" for adults will be used to measure self-regulation scores. This is a 5 item and 5 point likert scale based questionnaire and the score ranges lies between 5 to 25 (min to max). Higher score signify better self regulation.
4 weeks
Dietary diversity scores
Time Frame: 4 weeks

The dietary diversity scores (DDS) will be calculated from the food frequency questionnaire based on 24 food groups pre-defined by the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations. Among these the food groups classified as healthy are 10 in total therefore the score range lies between 0 to 10 with higher score meaning better dietary diversity.
4 weeks
Calorie intake from the healthy vs unhealthy food groups.
Time Frame: 4 weeks

The calorie intake will be calculated from the food frequency questionnaire based on 24 food groups categorized as healthy, unhealthy or optional by the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations. Higher value = better (greater caloric contribution from healthy food groups). There is no fixed minimum or maximum cut off assigned as this is a continuous measure of dietary adequacy and varies from individual to individual.
4 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
SWOT analysis
Time Frame: 4 weeks

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
4 weeks

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.
Aga Khan 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.
  • Study Director: Sanam I Soomro, PhD, Aga Khan University
  • Principal Investigator: Syed Asad Ali, MBBS, MPH, DABP, DABPID, Aga Khan University
  • Study Chair: Mashaal Shakil, Aga Khan University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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.
October 20, 2026

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.
March 20, 2027

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.
March 20, 2027

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).
October 1, 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.
October 1, 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.
October 6, 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.
October 8, 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.
October 5, 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.
August 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.
  • 2026-13571-4353

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

As the clinicaltrails.gov does not require sharing IPD, we will not share IPD. If the journals require, we will provide anonymized data only for transparency and replication.

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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