Effect of Demographic Characteristics and Personality Traits on Eating Patterns in the Context of Dietary Intervention: the EATMED Case Study

There is a confirmed and ongoing need to encourage adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the general population in western societies, given its recognized positive impact in preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). A potentially very effective solution is the use of digital tools such as apps and web apps, which can reach a large number of people quickly. Still, to be effective, it is necessary to better understand how participant engagement in these interventions works, to identify the motivations that may lead them to drop out, and to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. In our study, an innovative web app designed to encourage adherence to the Mediterranean diet (EATMED) was tested in an intervention study, evaluating adherence to the Mediterranean diet before and after the use of the web app in a cohort of people, compared to a control group, using the MEDI-lite questionnaire. The Health and Taste Attitude Scale questionnaire was also administered to all participants to assess interest in healthy foods and diets, as well as attitudes toward food. The study showed that the score of the Food as Reward subscale of the HTAS had a significant effect on dropout from the intervention study, and that the use of the app among participants who remained resulted in a two-point increase in adherence to the Mediterranean diet, according to the MEDI-lite questionnaire. These results indicate the effectiveness of the EATMED tool and provide useful insights into how to understand and mitigate dropout in digital nutrition interventions.