Web-Based Sustainable Food Literacy Program for University Students

November 1, 2026 updated by: Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital

Effectiveness of a Web-Based Sustainable Food Literacy Intervention for University Students: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based sustainable food literacy program for university students in Taiwan.

A total of 180 university students will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: a sustainable food literacy intervention group, a general nutrition education comparison group, or a control group. The two educational programs will be delivered online over 6 weeks and will include 11 learning units.

Participants in all three groups will complete assessments before the intervention, immediately after the 6-week intervention period, and 3 months after the intervention. The primary outcome is comprehensive food literacy. Other outcomes include different domains of food literacy, sustainable eating intentions and strategies, and healthy eating behaviors.

The study aims to determine whether the sustainable food literacy program improves food literacy compared with the control condition and whether it provides additional benefits compared with general nutrition education.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

180

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Kaohsiung City
      • Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, 807378
        • Kaohsiung Medical University
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Li-Ling Liao, PhD

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older.
  • Currently enrolled as a student at a university or college in Taiwan.
  • Able to read and use Chinese-language online learning materials.
  • Willing to complete the online questionnaires and other study activities during the study period.

Exclusion Criteria:

-None.

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: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sustainable Food Literacy Intervention

Participants will receive an 11-unit web-based sustainable food literacy program delivered over 6 weeks. The program includes scenario-based learning materials, visual educational content, quizzes with corrective feedback, and reflective learning activities related to food literacy, sustainable eating, and food-system concepts.
Behavioral: Web-Based Sustainable Food Literacy Program

The intervention is a 6-week web-based educational program consisting of 11 learning units. Units 1-10 are delivered as two units per week during the first 5 weeks, followed by an integrative unit in week 6. The program focuses on comprehensive food literacy and sustainable eating and includes scenario-based stories, visual educational materials, quizzes with corrective feedback, reflective activities, and food-system- and sustainability-related concepts.
Active Comparator: General Nutrition Education

Participants will receive an 11-unit web-based general nutrition education program delivered over 6 weeks using the same online platform and a similar educational schedule. The program uses authoritative nutrition education materials and five-item quizzes with corrective feedback but does not include sustainability- or food-system-specific content.
Behavioral: Web-Based General Nutrition Education Program

The active comparator is a 6-week web-based general nutrition education program consisting of 11 learning units. Units 1-10 are delivered as two units per week during the first 5 weeks, followed by an integrative unit in week 6. Each unit generally includes authoritative nutrition education materials and a five-item quiz with corrective feedback. The program focuses on general healthy eating and does not include sustainability- or food-system-specific concepts.
No Intervention: Control

Participants will not receive either web-based educational program during the 6-week intervention period. They will complete the same outcome assessments as participants in the other study groups.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Comprehensive Food Literacy Total Score
Time Frame: Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1)

Comprehensive food literacy will be assessed using a culturally adapted 25-item Comprehensive Food Literacy Measurement Tool. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A mean total score will be calculated across the 25 items, ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater comprehensive food literacy.
Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Comprehensive Food Literacy Total Score at 3-Month Follow-Up
Time Frame: 3 months after completion of the 6-week intervention (T2)

Comprehensive food literacy will be assessed using the same culturally adapted 25-item Comprehensive Food Literacy Measurement Tool. Items are rated from 1 to 5, and a mean total score ranging from 1 to 5 will be calculated, with higher scores indicating greater comprehensive food literacy.
3 months after completion of the 6-week intervention (T2)
Comprehensive Food Literacy Domain Scores
Time Frame: Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)

The 25-item Comprehensive Food Literacy Measurement Tool includes five domains: production (7 items), selection (5 items), preparation and cooking (7 items), intake (3 items), and disposal (3 items). A mean score ranging from 1 to 5 will be calculated for each domain, with higher scores indicating greater food literacy in that domain.
Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)
Sustainable Eating Action Intention
Time Frame: Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)

Sustainable eating action intention will be assessed using three items adapted from the Sustainable Food Literacy Scale. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). A mean score ranging from 1 to 7 will be calculated, with higher scores indicating stronger intentions to adopt sustainable eating practices.
Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)
Sustainable Eating Action Strategy
Time Frame: Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)

Sustainable eating action strategy will be assessed using four items adapted from the Sustainable Food Literacy Scale. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). A mean score ranging from 1 to 7 will be calculated, with higher scores indicating greater use of sustainable eating strategies.
Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)
Healthy Eating Behaviors
Time Frame: Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)

Healthy eating behaviors will be assessed using a 13-item instrument developed for Taiwanese university students. Items are rated on a 5-point scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always). A mean score ranging from 1 to 5 will be calculated, with higher scores indicating healthier eating behaviors.
Immediately after the 6-week intervention (T1) and 3 months after the intervention (T2)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Li-Ling Liao, Kaohsiung Medical 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)

February 8, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 23, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 23, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 1, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NCKU-HREC-E-112-638-2
  • NSTC 113-2410-H-037 -004 -SS3 (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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