Feeding Your Kids Research Study
We are asking you to participate in a research study titled “Feeding Your Kids New Program”. We will describe this study to you and answer any of your questions. This study is being led by Eszter Erdélyi, the CEO of the Feeding Your Kids Foundation. This study is being funded by the Feeding Your Kids Foundation.
What the study is about
The purpose of this research is to determine whether a complex task such as feeding children healthy food and teaching them to be healthy eaters can be more effectively taught by personalizing certain elements of instruction, including through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. In the study, participants will be given access to an educational web application to help them learn to feed their children healthy food and teach them to be healthy eaters. Participants will be randomly assigned either to a group which has access to all of the application’s functionality except the AI chatbot, or to a group has access to all of the application’s functionality including the AI chatbot. We will assess how participants use the application, how much measurable progress they make, and what their feedback is at the beginning, throughout, and at the end. The study is targeted to last 30 days. At the end, both groups will be given access to the application with the AI chatbot functionality, if they wish, for another 90 days.
What we will ask you to do
We will ask you to fill out an initial questionnaire, then try a web-based educational application at least three times over the next thirty days; at the end of thirty days, we will ask you to fill out a final questionnaire.
We estimate the time commitments as follows:
• Initial questionnaire: Fifteen (15) minutes
• Use the application at least three times over thirty days: Minimum ten (10) minutes per usage, so a total of at least thirty (30) minutes over thirty days; but you may use it as much as you wish
• Final questionnaire: Fifteen (15) minutes
• Total: Minimum approximately one hour. We would expect most parents will spend more time on it because they find it useful, and you may spend as much time as you wish
The application will have at least the following features which you can use:
• Lessons
• Recommendation engine and “Next up” queue for lessons
• Quizzes
• Practical and behavioral advice
• Recipes
• Invite emails welcoming you back to the program at regular intervals over 30 days
• For the subject test group (randomly assigned): Context-aware AI chat
Risks and discomforts
While we do not anticipate any significant risks from participating in this research, the risks may include:
• Potential emotional discomfort, e.g. discussing feeding challenges can surface feelings of guilt or frustration
• Breach of confidentiality risk
• The AI chatbot may provide incorrect or inappropriate advice, and is not a substitute for professional nutritional or medical guidance
• Time burden may exceed what's expected
Use of AI
Participants using the AI feature should be aware that:
• The AI may make errors and is not a substitute for professional advice. The AI cannot diagnose conditions or replace a pediatrician/dietitian.
• We will retain and use the chat data to understand user behavior and understand what is effective and helpful to parents. We may de-identify and summarize key takeaways from chats, while always preserving the de-identification of the user and of anyone discussed in the user’s chat.
Data retention timeline
We will retain identifiable data for 10 years after study completion, after which it will be fully anonymized. De-identified data may be retained indefinitely for research purposes
Benefits
While we do not anticipate participants will experience direct benefits from participating in this research, we do anticipate participants may experience indirect benefits, which may include: a better understanding of how to feed children healthy food and teach them to be healthy eaters; improved feeling of competence; and a greater understanding of their own behavior and how to overcome challenges in successful feeding.
We expect that the results of this research will benefit society by helping us learn more about which elements of the educational process, and which features of the application, are the most helpful to parents in overcoming challenges in feeding. Further, we hope to learn more about whether, and if so how, a context-aware AI agent helps parents overcome their challenges.
Incentives for participation
There is no compensation for participating in this study. As a thank-you for participating, participants will receive access to the application for an additional ninety (90) days.
Audio/Video Recording
We will not record audio or video during this research.
Privacy/Confidentiality/Data Security
This study will not ask you to enter any confidential information, such as address, health information, etc. For example, we will ask for the number and ages of children, but no names or other identifying information about them. We will ask you for your email and limited demographic data, information about your current feeding skills, and information about how you use the program, and we will track how you use the program.
Our privacy policies as stated at https://www.feedingyourkids.org/privacy-policy/ and data from participation in this study is covered by these policies. When presenting our results, we will always de-identify participants’ information, meaning that we will remove any link to identifying information so that it would not be practical for anyone to determine the identity of the participant. We will store identification information confidentially, as we do normally, in electronic format using industry-standard security methods to store the data.
Your account which allows you to log into the educational web application will require you to use “passwordless” or “magic link” login, which means that it will send an email to your email inbox, and that email will permit you to log in to your account and use the application. This means that the application is only as secure as your email inbox, and that if anyone gains control of your email inbox, they could be able to access any data you enter into the application. We will encourage and remind you not to enter confidential information into the application as it is not necessary in order to complete the study or use the application.
We will do our best to keep your participation in this research study confidential to the extent permitted by law; however, it is possible that other people may need to review the research records and may find out about your participation in this study. For example, the following people/groups may check and copy records about this research:
• The research study sponsor, Feeding Your Kids Foundation
• The technical engineering support provider, Positive Arts LLC
We anticipate that your participation in this survey presents no greater risk than everyday use of the Internet.
Please note that email communication is neither private nor secure. Though we are taking precautions to protect your privacy, you should be aware that information sent through e-mail could be read by a third party.
Your Right to Delete Data
You may request deletion of your data by contacting the lead researcher at the address provided below and we will delete your data.
Sharing De-identified Data Collected in this Research
De-identified data from this study may be shared with the research community at large to advance science and health. We will remove or code any personal information that could identify you before files are shared with other researchers to ensure that, by current scientific standards and known methods, no one will be able to identify you from the information we share. Despite these measures, we cannot guarantee anonymity of your personal data.
Third-Party Processors
Third-party processors include:
• Google (Google Cloud products)
• Twilio (SendGrid)
• Anthropic (Claude AI)
Taking part is entirely voluntary
Your involvement is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to participate before the study begins, discontinue at any time, skip any questions/procedures that may make you feel uncomfortable. You may also request your data be deleted (see “Your Right to Delete Data”).
Follow up studies
We may contact you again to request your participation in a follow up study. As always, your participation will be voluntary and we will ask for your explicit consent to participate in any of the follow up studies.
If you have questions
The main researcher conducting this study is Eszter Erdélyi, CEO of the Feeding Your Kids Foundation. Please ask any questions you have; you may contact Eszter Erdélyi at
[email protected]. We will send you a PDF of this document once completed for your records.
Statement of Consent
I have read the above information, and have received answers to any questions I asked. I consent to take part in the study.
