The effectiveness of digital nutrition education interventions on behavioral changes in fast food consumption

Indriati Kusumaningsih* -  St. Carolus College of Health Sciences, Jakarta, Indonesia
Patemah Patemah -  Widyagama Husada College of Health Sciences, Malang, Indonesia
Ni Ketut Wiradnyani -  Nutrition Study Program, Dhyana Pura University, Bali, Indonesia
Aliah Bagus Purwakania Hasan -  Al Azhar University Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
Andi Maulana Kamri -  Faculty of Pharmacy, Indonesian Muslim University, Makassar, Indonesia
The consumption of fast food has increased significantly and is associated with obesity and other chronic diseases. Digital nutrition education has been proposed as a solution to promote healthy eating behaviors. This randomized controlled trial was conducted in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia, in 2024 and involved 200 participants aged 18–50 years old. The experimental group (n=100) received digital nutrition education through a mobile application, whereas the control group (n=100) received no intervention. Data on fast-food consumption frequency, nutritional knowledge, and attitudes were collected using validated questionnaires before and after the 6-week intervention. Fast food consumption in the experimental group decreased significantly by 53% (from 6.5 to 3 times/week) compared with a 12% reduction in the control group. Nutritional knowledge improved from 40% to 75%, and 80% of the participants reported improved eating habits. Higher engagement with interactive app features led to a 30% increase in healthy food consumption. Digital nutrition education interventions effectively reduce fast food consumption and improve nutritional knowledge and attitudes. These findings support the integration of digital tools into public health strategies.

Keywords : Digital Nutrition Education, Behavior Change, Fast Food Consumption, Randomized Trial

  1. Alruwaili, M. M., Shaban, M., & Elsayed Ramadan, O. M. (2023). Digital health interventions for promoting healthy aging: A systematic review of adoption patterns, efficacy, and user experience. Sustainability, 15(23), 16503. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316503
  2. Al Rahmad, A. H., & Shavira, N. (2024). Media Motion Graphic Empat Pilar Gizi Seimbang Meningkatkan Pengetahuan Dan Sikap Ibu Balita. Jurnal Riset Gizi, 12(2), 183–189. https://doi.org/10.31983/jrg.v12i2.12087
  3. Awaluddin, S. M., Lim, K. K., & Shawaluddin, N. S. (2024). Global prevalence of overweight and obesity among health care workers: A systematic review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 22(11), 2342–2349. https://doi.org/10.11124/JBIES-23-00207
  4. Bell, D. L. (2023). Feasibility and uptake of implementing an online, self-paced nutrition education program for low-income populations [Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
  5. Bhide, A., Shah, P. S., & Acharya, G. (2018). A simplified guide to randomized controlled trials. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 97(4), 380–387. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.13309
  6. Boulos, M. N. K., Tsouros, A. D., & Holopainen, A. (2015). Social, innovative and smart cities are happy and resilient: Insights from the WHO EURO 2014 International Healthy Cities Conference. International Journal of Health Geographics, 14(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-14-3
  7. Champion, V. L., & Skinner, C. S. (2008). The health belief model. In K. Glanz, B. K. Rimer, & K. Viswanath (Eds.), Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (4th ed., pp. 45–65). Jossey-Bass.
  8. Chapman, G. E. (2017). From “dieting” to “healthy eating.” In E. Rich, L. Miah, & J. Lewis (Eds.), Interpreting weight: The social management of fatness and thinness (pp. 73–88). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315595230-5
  9. Chen, Y., Perez-Cueto, F. J. A., Giboreau, A., Mavridis, I., & Hartwell, H. (2020). The promotion of eating behaviour change through digital interventions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7488. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207488
  10. Ferrara, G., Kim, J., Lin, S., Hua, J., & Seto, E. (2019). A focused review of smartphone diet-tracking apps: Usability, functionality, coherence with behavior change theory, and comparative validity of nutrient intake and energy estimates. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(5), e9232. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.9232
  11. Fulkerson, J. A. (2018). Fast food in the diet: Implications and solutions for families. Physiology & Behavior, 193, 252–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.03.013
  12. Hamulka, J., Wadolowska, L., Hoffmann, M., Kowalkowska, J., & Gutkowska, K. (2018). Effect of an education program on nutrition knowledge, attitudes toward nutrition, diet quality, lifestyle, and body composition in Polish teenagers. The ABC of healthy eating project: Design, protocol, and methodology. Nutrients, 10(10), 1439. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101439
  13. Hawkes, C., Harris, J., & Gillespie, S. (2017). Urbanization and the nutrition transition. In International Food Policy Research Institute (Ed.), Global food policy report 2017 (pp. 34–41). IFPRI. https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896292529_04
  14. Huang, J., Xu, Y., & Zhao, T. (2017). The development of a fast food consumption questionnaire for measuring eating habits and health-related factors. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 49(3), 191–198.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2016.12.002
  15. Hudgens, L. G., Ramble, T. M., & Ahn, S. J. (2020). Digital interactive media and health behavior change. In J. Van den Bulck (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of media psychology (pp. 1–8). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0124
  16. Hussain, S. (2024). Exploring the development and use of mobile apps to promote a sustainable and healthy diet in young adults [Doctoral dissertation, Macquarie University]. Macquarie University Research Online.
  17. Kankanhalli, A., Shin, J., & Oh, H. (2019). Mobile-based interventions for dietary behavior change and health outcomes: Scoping review. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(1), e11312. https://doi.org/10.2196/11312
  18. Karnani, A., McFerran, B., & Mukhopadhyay, A. (2016). The obesity crisis as market failure: An analysis of systemic causes and corrective mechanisms. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 1(3), 445–470. https://doi.org/10.1086/686303
  19. Kay, M. C., Hammad, N. M., Truong, T., Herring, S. J., & Bennett, G. G. (2023). Feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a digital intervention to improve consumption of foods received within a national nutrition assistance program. Nutrients, 15(2), 438. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020438
  20. Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia. (2018). Hasil Riskesdas 2018. Kementerian Kesehatan RI. https://www.kemkes.go.id/resources/download/general/Hasil%20Riskesdas%202018.pdf
  21. Lim, H. J., Xue, H., & Wang, Y. (2020). Global trends in obesity. In H. Meiselman (Ed.), Handbook of eating and drinking: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 1217–1235). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14504-0_84
  22. Maldonado‐Pereira, L., Barnaba, C., de Los Campos, G., & Medina‐Meza, I. G. (2022). Evaluation of the nutritional quality of ultra‐processed foods (ready to eat + fast food): Fatty acids, sugar, and sodium. Journal of Food Science, 87(8), 3659–3676. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.16216
  23. McCormick, K., & Salcedo, J. (2017). SPSS statistics for data analysis and visualization. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119387039
  24. Morgan, G. A., Barrett, K. C., Leech, N. L., & Gloeckner, G. W. (2019). IBM SPSS for introductory statistics: Use and interpretation (6th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429443228
  25. Najib, M., Sumarwan, U., Septiani, S., Waibel, H., Suhartanto, D., & Fahma, F. (2022). Individual and socio-cultural factors as driving forces of the purchase intention for organic food by middle class consumers in Indonesia. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing, 34(3), 320–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974438.2021.1995701
  26. Niederdeppe, J., Boyd, A. D., King, A. J., & Rimal, R. N. (2024). Strategies for effective public health communication in a complex information environment. Annual Review of Public Health, 45, 487–506. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031122-031836
  27. Njoku, A. U., Molla, A. R., & Tohura, S. (2025). Health behavior and health promotion theories: Application in environmental sciences and health. In J. C. Lee (Ed.), Handbook of concepts in health, health behavior and environmental health (pp. 1–24). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26181-4_13-1
  28. Popkin, B. M., Barquera, S., Corvalan, C., Hofman, K. J., Monteiro, C., Ng, S. W., Swart, E. C., & Taillie, L. S. (2021). Towards unified and impactful policies to reduce ultra-processed food consumption and promote healthier eating. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 9(7), 462–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00078-4
  29. Putra, E. S., Irfan, A., Nopindra, A., Al Rahmad, A. H., & Dahliansyah, D. (2025). Nutrition Education Based on The’My T Plate’Model Enhances Adolescents’ Knowledge in Preventing Central Obesity. Proceeding International Conference Health Polytechnic of Jambi, 5, 213–217.
  30. Shapu, R. C., Ismail, S., Ahmad, N., Lim, P. Y., & Njodi, I. A. (2020). Effect of health education intervention on improving knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents on malnutrition: A systematic review. Nutrients, 12(8), 2426. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082426
  31. Singh, D., Biju, B., Kumar, L., Arya, S., & Singh, A. (2023). Assessing the impact of health education on health behavior change. Journal of Chemical Health Risks, 13(6), 2380–2387. https://doi.org/10.22034/jchr.2023.2063995.1590
  32. Swargiay, K. (2024). Health education: Foundations, strategies, and innovations. EdTech Research Association. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10652849
  33. Udoudom, U., George, K., & Igiri, A. (2023). Impact of digital learning platforms on behaviour change communication in public health education. Pancasila International Journal of Applied Social Science, 2(1), 110–125. https://doi.org/10.55849/pijass.v2i1.139
  34. Upreti, Y. R. (2023). Transforming nutritional behaviors in schoolchildren through a school-based participatory nutrition education intervention. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies and Innovative Research, 11(2), 122–134. https://doi.org/10.53085/ijmsir.2023.11209
  35. Warde, A. (2024). Changing eating habits. In Everyday eating (pp. 1–16). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.51952/9781529231071.ch001
  36. World Health Organization. (2018). Obesity and overweight. WHO Fact Sheets. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
  37. Ye, Z., Arumugam, V., Haugabrooks, E., Williamson, P., & Hendrich, S. (2015). Soluble dietary fiber (Fibersol-2) decreased hunger and increased satiety hormones in humans when ingested with a meal. Nutrition Research, 35(5), 393–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2015.03.001
  38. Zhao, Y., Wang, L., Xue, H., Wang, H., & Wang, Y. (2017). Fast food consumption and its associations with obesity and hypertension among children: Results from the baseline data of the Childhood Obesity Study in China Mega-cities. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 933. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4952-x

Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 Indriati Kusumaningsih, Patemah, Ni Ketut Wiradnyani, Aliah Bagus Purwakania Hasan, Andi Maulana Kamri
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

AcTion: Aceh Nutrition Journal
Published by: Department of Nutrition at the Health Polytechnic of Aceh, Ministry of Health.
Soekarno-Hatta Street, No. 168. Health Polytechnic of Aceh, Aceh Besar, 23352. Telp/Fax: 0651 46126 / 0651 46121.
Website: https://gizipoltekkesaceh.ac.id/
E-mail: jurnal6121@gmail.com

e-issn: 2548-5741, p-issn: 2527-3310

All content is licensed under a: Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 International License

View My Stats

Get a feed by atom here, RRS2 here and OAI Links here