About the Project

Project Aims

The main aim of this project is to see whether or not a simple app game can help children make healthier food choices. We hope that this app can make it easier for parents and families to lead a healthier life.


Another aim of this project is to do a "test-run" of the activities involved in the project. All of our research so far has taken place in schools. We are now interested to see how parents and children get on with the activities and questionnaires in other everyday situations. This will help us to understand whether it would be possible to run a larger trial, or whether we need to make changes to the activities and procedures in this project. For this reason, your feedback is incredibly valuable at all stages of this project. Even if you decide to leave before the project finishes, this will also be very useful for us to know.


Child Suitability


This project is suitable for children aged 4-11 years old. If your child does not fall within this age range, but you would still like to take part, get in touch with us at kidshealthyeatingproject@exeter.ac.uk and we'd be happy to chat. 


Our research to date suggests that your child may eat fewer high-calorie snack foods and more fruits and vegetables after completing this study. Please do not take part if you think this could pose a problem for your child’s health or wellbeing. If you are unsure about whether this applies to your child please talk to your doctor before joining the project.


What the study involves

You and your child will meet one of our researchers for two sessions at a location of your choice (e.g., at home, in a library or community centre). Together, we will complete some activities to find out more about your child’s eating habits (e.g., favourite foods), and your thoughts and opinions about our app. At one of the sessions, we will ask you to download the app and to try it out at home for a couple of weeks.

Some people will be given the app in the first session, and other people will be given the app in the second session. This is because the order of activities is random.

The two sessions will take place two weeks apart, and you will receive a £10 Amazon voucher for each sessionEach session will last between 30 minutes to one hour (depending on how much you want to chat about the app!). 


There is also the option of taking part in an interview a few weeks later to give us more detailed feedback about the app and your experience of the study (you will receive an additional £10 Amazon voucher if you take part in an interview). This means that you could earn up to £30 in vouchers by taking part in this study.


Contact us


If you have any questions before taking part or would like to drop us an email, please get in touch at kidshealthyeatingproject@exeter.ac.uk


To sign up for this study, click here.