Take Part - Diet and Exercise
Intervention study of the impact of using the Jonple app to support weight loss through dietary and fitness change and user experience study of the Jonple app.
Principal Investigators (PI): Yasemin Yelbasi and Jordyne Hodge, School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Newcastle University.
Supervisor(s): Ms. Susan Lennie and Dr. Anthony Watson, School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences, Newcastle University.
Collaborators: Emma Kellett, Jonple Ltd., Manchester.
Invitation
You are being invited to take part in a research study which is being conducted by a final year Food and Human Nutrition student and a final year Nutrition with Food Marketing student, who are a part of the School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences at Newcastle University. Prior to your decision, it is crucial that you understand the reasons as to why the research is being carried out and what it will entail. Please read the following information carefully; feel free to discuss it with others if you need. Feel free to ask us any questions if you feel that you require more information or if something is not clear. Take your time deciding if you wish to take part in this study or not.
Study Overview
The main purpose of this research study is to measure the impact of the fitness and diet app, Jonple Ltd., in supporting weight loss.
The second purpose of this research is to evaluate the overall user experience within the Jonple Ltd. app. This entails all of the app’s features of a fitness, diet programme and also psychological techniques.
For our research we are seeking adults over the age of 18 years to participate in a 4-week intervention study. To qualify for participation
in the study you must have a BMI of over 25kg/m2. You will complete a consent form and a participant health questionnaire regarding any dietary requirements and any health conditions that may impact on your involvement in the study, and a PAR-Q form prior to the start of the 4-week study.
You will be asked to fill out a consent form, a medical questionnaire regarding A PAR-Q form includes 7 questions, the answers of which will be used to inform the lead researcher whether you can take part in physical activity or not. If, for any reason, you do not pass this form, then you will not be allowed to take part in the study.
What will happen to me if I take part?
Participants will be asked to follow a diet plan and fitness plan as recommended by a commercially available health and nutrition app. In advance of this, participants will have a one-to-one consultation with the researcher to gather body measurements (weight, height, girths of upper arm, lower leg (calf), waist and hip). These measurements will be taken at the start and the end of the study and you will be given guidance on how to complete these. Information on current dietary habits will be obtained through a food diary. This is where you record all intake over 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. In addition to this, a standardised fitness test, comprised of a warm-up, jogging on the spot, some dynamic stretching, some activation exercises, and a cool-down, will be carried out.
The consultations will last approx. 30mins - 1 hour and will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you might have. The consultation will be private and will not involve any other participants. You will need to have access to a flexible tape measure for some of the measurements but if you do not have this, one can be sent to you in advance. In preparation for the consultations, we ask that you wear a short-sleeved sports top and either leggings or loose-fitting shorts. These measurements should not cause you any harm or discomfort, and there are no risks associated with these methods.
Participants will use the nutrition and fitness app on a regular basis over the 4 weeks. Access will be free, through provision of a code to apply once you have downloaded the app. You will receive your individual code during the initial online consultation.
At the end of each week, participants will be required to answer a brief survey. This survey has two parts; one exploring how closely the diet plan was followed and how many workouts were completed in the previous week and if they feel they can continue and the second part contains open and closed questions and ratings about the users experience with the app. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes to complete and participants are required to complete
Following the initial online meeting, you will use the app freely and you will only meet with both researchers at the end of the 4-week period for the final measurements and to talk about your overall user experience.
What will happen to my data?
The data collected across this intervention will be analysed and used to determine whether the fitness and dietary programme of the Jonple app supports successful weight loss. The data collected for the second study, regarding user experience, will be used to analyse the overall Jonple experience and help make improvements to the app. Your data will not be stored against your name, you will instead be given a participant identification number, which will be used in replacement of your name across any electronic storage of the data prior to publication. Your data will be presented in aggregate, and therefore individual sets of data will not be identifiable.
Risks and Discomforts
In order to combat the risks involved in physical activity, the participants will have to complete a PAR-Q. If this is not passed, then the participant is deemed unfit for physical activity and can therefore not take part in the research. In order to combat the risks involved in changing to new dietary habits, the medical questionnaire needs to be completed. This will assess if a change in diet could harm the participant. If you have any allergens/dietary requirements, you will not be able to participate as the app does not accommodate this at this current time. The zoom sessions will be one-on-one, meaning that participants will be unaware of each other’s identity or information. Each participant will be numbered, meaning that during data analyse your confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained. If, during the study, you become injured, are unable to complete a workout or fall ill due to a dietary change, then you can terminate your involvement in the intervention research. You are able to withdraw, at any time, from either the intervention study or user experience survey or both studies described in this Personal Information Sheet.
For the survey element of the study, the zoom sessions will be one-on-one, meaning that participants will be unaware of each other’s identity or information. Each participant will be numbered, meaning that feedback given and used for data analysis via the survey and zoom meetings will be kept anonymous and confidentiality maintained. Participants will only be contacted by email as required. If, during the study, you wish to not partake in the survey, then you can terminate your involvement in the research.
Benefits
At the present time, there are no known benefits of using the Jonple app. However, by taking part in the study you will be assisting us in understanding whether the app supports weight loss. Furthermore, the data will be used to improve the digital app, which is widely available to the general public, increasing their knowledge and understanding of the correct health and lifestyle choices. It may also support weight loss and improved fitness habits.
Reimbursement
As a thank you for taking part in the study, your access to the Jonple app will continue for a full 12 months.
Confidentiality
Your individual privacy will be maintained in any and all publications or presentations that result from this research. This will be done by assigning you a unique identification number which will be used instead of personal details for electronic storage of the data. Your name or personal details will not be written on any paper copies of data collection and will never be disclosed in any research documents which are included in the study. All zoom sessions will not be recorded, and no images will be taken at any time during these sessions. All information that you provide will be kept strictly confidential and anonymised.
University and organisations overseeing research governance may look at your study records. A study number, as opposed to your name, will be used on all records, so you will not be identifiable should this occur.
Voluntary Participation and Withdrawal from the Study
You have the right to terminate your involvement in the either the intervention study, the user experience study or both studies at any time without penalty. You may refuse to take part in any part which you do not feel comfortable with or answer any questions you do not wish to answer. If you do withdraw from the studies, you may request that your research data and information be removed. This can be done by contacting the Principal Investigator’s listed above and below.
Contact Information
For queries about the intervention study please contact y.yelbasi@newcastle.ac.uk (Yasemin Yelbasi) (Principle Investigator) and for queries about the user experience study please contact j.hodge@newcastle.ac.uk (Jordyne Hodge) (Principle Investigator):
Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet. please click the link below to sign up
