Maternal Nutrition Monitoring Behavior Through COM-B: A Simulation-Based Digital Intervention Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59261/jequi.v8i5.482Keywords:
COM-B, Behavior Change, Intake Monitoring, Child Nutrition, Digital InterventionAbstract
Background: Child nutrition depends not only on food choices but also on parents’ ability to monitor portion sizes, feeding frequency, dietary variety, and actual food consumption. The gap between understanding healthy feeding principles and consistently monitoring children’s food intake may limit the provision of appropriate nutritional care.
Objective: This article applies the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation–Behavior (COM-B) framework to identify determinants of maternal food-intake monitoring behavior and translate them into requirements for a digital behavior-support intervention concept.
Methods: A descriptive qualitative simulation was conducted using 12 hypothetical maternal profiles representing caregivers of children aged 1–5 years. Scenario statements were deductively mapped to COM-B dimensions and analyzed thematically. No interviews with human participants were conducted; therefore, this exercise demonstrates an analytical framework rather than estimating empirical prevalence.
Results: The simulated analysis identified three recurring categories of mechanisms: capability limitations in estimating portion sizes and recording food intake; opportunity constraints related to time availability and coordination among multiple caregivers; and a motivation gap in which concern for children’s health does not automatically translate into routine monitoring. In this article, “knowing” refers to understanding healthy eating principles and portion-size concepts, whereas “doing” refers to the repeated practices of recording and reviewing children’s actual food intake and acting on the information obtained.
Conclusion: Within this simulation, COM-B provides a structured approach to translating behavioral diagnosis into digital intervention requirements, including simple portion-size guidance, rapid food-intake logging, caregiver coordination, feedback, and progress tracking. The framework should be empirically validated with real caregivers before any claims regarding intervention effectiveness are made.
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