Living Green and Healthy for Teens

Youth-parent dyads will receive the LiGHT program (addressing healthy eating, physical activity, screen time and sleep) via the Aim2Be smartphone app for 6 months. It provides personalization beginning with creation of an avatar and identifying user motivations, offers progressive goal-setting considering readiness, sub-tasks, milestones, self-monitoring tools with feedback and positive reinforcement. It applies behaviour change techniques, provides a knowledge centre, simulation narratives to enable decision making, and separate social exchange platforms for parents and youth to share ideas and challenges with peers. A Virtual Coach has been programmed using motivational interviewing theory. Gamification includes elements of choice, challenge, uncertainty, discovery, and kudos for achieving outcomes in the process of developing motivations, skills and mastery.

Youth-parent dyads will receive a simple app called BnLt for 6 months. It provides web-links to external websites that provide information and tips on healthy eating and activity, including the Canada Food Guide, Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology recommendations for physical activity, screen time and sleep for youth, and other resources.