This study aimed to design and evaluate the feasibility of a mobile application within Swiss households and examine its effects on dietary intake and food acceptance among children who participated in cooking with minimal parental guidance (intervention group) versus children who did not engage in cooking (control group).An online ten-week randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2020. Parents received access to a mobile application containing ten recipes. Each recipe incorporated one of two commonly disliked foods (Brussels sprouts or whole-meal pasta). Parents weighed and photographed the food portions on their child’s plate and recorded whether the child enjoyed the meal and the target food. The primary outcomes were target food intake and acceptability, assessed using descriptive analysis comparing pre- and post-intervention data. Of 24 parents completing baseline questionnaires, 18 parents and their children (median age: 8 years) finished the evaluation phase. Mean baseline intakes for children were 19.0 ± 24.2 g for Brussels sprouts and 86.0 ± 69.7 g for whole-meal pasta per meal. Post-intervention, no significant differences were observed in intake within or between groups. However, a higher proportion of children in the intervention group reported neutral or positive liking for whole-meal pasta compared to the control group. No changes were observed in the liking of Brussels sprouts. The intervention proved feasible, but further studies with larger samples are necessary to confirm these findings. Incorporating digital tools into home cooking activities may enhance children’s acceptance of certain healthy foods, reduce parental time burden, and encourage family engagement in preparing nutritious meals.
