Empowering Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Through Personalized Intervention Portfolios Using a Healthy Lifestyle Recommender System to Prevent and Control Obesity in Young Adults: Pilot Study Protocol from the HealthyW8 Project
<b>Background:</b> Rising obesity rates among young adults increase long-term health risks, especially cardiometabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Digital interventions can offer scalable solutions to promote and support healthy behaviors by integrating personalized diet, physical activity promotion, and behavioral support. <b>Objective:</b> To assess the feasibility, user friendliness, adherence, and satisfaction of the Healthy Lifestyle Recommender System (HLRS). Secondary outcomes will include measures of metabolic health and obesity. <b>Methods:</b> A 3-month, single-arm pilot study conducted across European countries, including Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, enrolling 351 young adults (18-25 years old, BMI 18.5-29.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>). The intervention includes a mobile app for meal planning (Nutrida v.1), gamified physical activity encouragement (GameBus), and real-time monitoring via a wearable smartwatch device. Primary outcomes are adherence and engagement, measured through app usage and participant feedback; secondary outcomes include anthropometry, physical activity, dietary patterns, psychological well-being, and selected biomarkers of metabolic health. <b>Expected Outcomes:</b> Improved engagement is expected to enhance lifestyle behaviors, supporting weight management and overall well-being. Findings will guide future large-scale interventions. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study will contribute to minimizing the impact of obesity in Europe.
Authors
- Josep A. Tur (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6940-0761)
- Andrea Devecchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2508-1110)
- Cristina Bouzas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1407-8461)
- Yanka Nikolova Ivanova (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3163-0497)
- Daniela Rodrigues (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4559-4303)
- Elsa Lamy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9370-1337)
- Astrid Kemperman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1312-4913)
- Sarah Forberger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7169-675X)
- María Pérez‐Jiménez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3143-4058)
- Silvia García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3534-1588)
- Torsten Bohn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7825-0697)
- Maria Giovanna Onorati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1847-0230)
- Tiziana de‐Magistris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5480-183X)
- Marina Ródenas-Munar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0954-039X)
- J.-M. Halimi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8476-2513)
- Suzan Evers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9119-6752)
- Boyko Doychinov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6166-0884)
Institutions
- University of Évora (PT)
- Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (ES)
- University of Gastronomic Sciences (IT)
- Luxembourg Institute of Health (LU)
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS (DE)
- Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (ES)
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (ES)
- Research Institute of Health Sciences (ES)
- North East of England Process Industry Cluster (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Universitat de les Illes Balears (ES)
- University of Coimbra (PT)
- Eindhoven University of Technology (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Personalized Medicine
- Published
- 2025-12-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm15120625
- Primary Topic
- Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III