Characteristics of Smartphone Applications for Nutrition Improvement in Community Settings: A Scoping Review

Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press https://academic.oup.com Copyright © 2019 American Society for NutritionSmartphone applications are increasingly being used to support nutrition improvement in community settings. However, there is a scarcity of practical literature to support researchers and practitioners in choosing or developing health applications. This work maps the features, key content, theoretical approaches, and methods of consumer testing of applications intended for nutrition improvement in community settings. A systematic, scoping review methodology was used to map published, peer-reviewed literature reporting on applications with a specific nutrition-improvement focus intended for use in the community setting. After screening, articles were grouped into 4 categories: dietary self-monitoring trials, nutrition improvement trials, application description articles, and qualitative application development studies. For mapping, studies were also grouped into categories based on the target population and aim of the application or program. Of the 4818 titles identified from the database search, 64 articles were included. The broad categories of features found to be included in applications generally corresponded to different behavior change support strategies common to many classic behavioral change models. Key content of applications generally focused on food composition, with tailored feedback most commonly used to deliver educational content. Consumer testing before application deployment was reported in just over half of the studies. Collaboration between practitioners and application developers promotes an appropriate balance of evidence-based content and functionality. This work provides a unique resource for program development teams and practitioners seeking to use an application for nutrition improvement in community settings

Nutritional interventions for adolescents using information and communication technologies (ICT) : a systematic review

Monografia (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Departamento de Nutrição, Trabalho de Conclusão de curso. 2016.INTRODUCTION: Adolescence is considered a nutritional risk period associated with a high prevalence of inadequate dietetic habits, that if not treated, can lead to obesity and non-communicable diseases. Once the majority of adolescents in the USA have access to Internet and electronic devices, an interactive and low-cost way of promoting healthy nutrition behaviors is by using information and communication technologies (ICT) in interventional programs. Therefore, the OBJECTIVE of this systematic reviews is to identify the different technologies and likewise its main characteristics that have been used for nutritional interventions in adolescents as well as evaluate the quality and effectiveness of these studies. METHODS: This study followed PRISMA’s guidelines and had its protocol published on PROSPERO (#CRD42016035882). Five databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scielo.ORG, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus) were searched to find articles written in English, Portuguese or Spanish describing nutritional interventions programs designed mainly for healthy adolescents that used ICT. MeSH terms representing ICT, nutrition, intervention, and adolescents had to be in the tittle or abstract. Randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and observational studies, full papers, and original articles, published between January 2005 and January 2016 were included. Hand searches from reference lists were also performed. Study quality was assessed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. Data was synthesized in a table. RESULTS: the search yielded 559 titles and abstracts. 44 studies went further analyses and 11 were included in this review. Participants were mostly recruited from school settings (10 of 11 studies), age varied from 9-17yo. 5 studies targeted specific populations. Study follow-up varied from 2 weeks to 2 years. 4 interventions were based on the Social Cognitive Theory. Interventions strategy included computer games, programs generating tailored feedback, text messages and interactive CD-ROM. 9 studies used computer-mediated ICT. 5 studies focused on multiple behaviors simultaneously. Participants were exposed to intervention once, daily, weekly or according to pre-determined number of lessons. 5 studies had significant outcomes. CONCLUSION: Nutritional interventions for adolescents using ICT shows to be more attractive. New technologies have emerged in the health care scenario. It is not simple to state the most effective interventions due to heterogeneity of studies. However, it can be suggested long-term interventions with more frequent exposure to technology resources that also have a theoretical component targeted to a single health behavior change

Feasibility of a Nutrition Training Program on Improving Self-Efficacy and Life Skill Development for Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease

Adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for growth and nutritionaldeficiencies due to poor dietary intake. Presently, no efficacious behavioral intervention exists to address the nutritional need in SCD management. The Good Nutrition 4Me Living with SCD program is a multi-component intervention, developed to improve knowledge base and the dietary habits of adolescents living with SCD. This report reviews the outcomes for 5 adolescents that participated in this 5-week program. Dietary intake was monitored daily via text messaging and progress with goals was reviewed weekly in the group sessions. Parents were also updated on their adolescent’s progress with dietary goals during a family session in the home setting. Resulted indicated promising effects across participants, with trends towards improvement in knowledge about nutritional recommendations and dietary intake. The Good Nutrition 4Me Living with SCD program was viewed as feasible and palatable, as all evaluable families completed the intervention and one-month follow-up activities

Meta-Analysis For Comparing Effect Between Game-Based Learning Versus Gamification Utilized In Nutrition Education

The prevalence of obesity tripled from 1975 to 2016 and was declared as a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997 (Haththotuwa et al., 2020; Controlling the global obesity epidemic, 2022). Nutrition education that involves knowledge and behavioral change is one major component addressing the problem ( Controlling the global obesity epidemic, 2022). Therefore, the effectiveness of each learning session is essential (Sharifirad et al., 2013). Thus, many nutrition educators have used gamified nutrition education to improve teaching effectiveness to increase healthy behavior or knowledge (Chow et al., 2020.; Munguba et al., 2008; Azevedo et al., 2019). Two approaches were often used for gamified learning: gamification and GBL (GBL; Browne et al., 2014; Johnson et al., 2016; Chow et al., 2020). Gamification applies a game mechanism to non-game content, while GBL or serious gaming involves a game that was built to achieve educational goals (De Freitas, 2006; Johnson et al., 2016). Despite many positive outcomes promoted by gamified education as a whole (Chow et al., 2020; Hamari et al., 2014), there is disagreement among researchers and professionals regarding how games affect education. This study aims to identify and analyze research literature on the effects of active game, gamification and GBL applied to nutrition knowledge and behavior. The researcher performed a network meta-analysis with three sub-constructs. First, searching journal articles that addressed nutrition education implied an intervention consolidated educational strategies into food choice knowledge, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity to a non-medical background population. Then, the studies were compared on the average effect of treatment indirectly through the control group. Results indicated there were plenty of studies that investigated the effect of gamification or GBL to nutrition education. Out of three focused outcomes: food choice knowledge, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity, only studies focusing on physical activity were able to produce measurable differences by comparing hours per week spent performing physical activity. Comparison of the treatment result showed that gamification had the greatest improvement in facilitating physical activity, but it was non-significant. This suggests that utilizing gamification across the globe would be the more successful intervention strategy, but would require improved heterogeneity of measurements for food knowledge and fruit and vegetable consumption in order to achieve consistent measurable results for comparison

The effectiveness of the Foodbot Factory serious game on increasing nutrition knowledge in children

Background: The interactive nature of serious games (i.e., video games designed for educational purposes) enable deeper learning and facilitate behavior change; however, there is limited data on their impact on child nutrition knowledge. The objective of this study was to determine if Foodbot Factory effectively improves children???s knowledge of 2019 Canada???s Food Guide. Methods: Study was a single-blinded, parallel randomized controlled trial conducted among children ages 8-10 years attending Ontario Tech University summer day camps. Results: Compared to the control group (n=34), children who used Foodbot Factory (n=39) had significant increases in overall nutrition knowledge (10.3 ?? 2.9 to 13.5 ?? 3.8 versus 10.2 ?? 3.1 to 10.4 ?? 3.2, p<0.001), and in Vegetables and Fruits (p<0.001), Protein Foods (p<0.001), and Whole Grain Food (p=0.040) sub-scores. No significant difference in knowledge was observed in Drinks sub-score. Conclusion: Foodbot Factory is an effective educational tool to support children learning about nutrition

Serious games for health promotion in adolescents – A systematic scoping review

Digital gaming has broad appeal globally, with a reported 2.7 billion gamers worldwide. There is significant interest in using games to enhance learning, with ‘serious games’ being included in classrooms to engage adolescents’ learning across a range of domains. A systematic scoping review of serious games used for health promotion with adolescents was conducted to identify serious games, review the methods used to evaluate these games, and outline evidence available to support the efficacy of these games in improving knowledge, beliefs/attitudes and behaviours in the target groups. Player engagement/enjoyment was reported if assessed. A total of 21 studies were found to have met the inclusion criteria domains: ‘healthy lifestyle’ ‘sexual health’ and ‘substance use’. A heterogenous approach across studies to game design and development, duration of game play, use of a control group and measurement of outcome(s) was observed. Game efficacy was difficult to assess due to broad generalisations and lack of consistent evaluation methods. Several studies demonstrate serious games can be engaging and pedagogically effective as a learning device and behaviour-change agent. Several studies, however, had less rigorous evaluation and lacked longer-term follow up. The ability for developers to demonstrate positive short- and long-term impacts of serious games with high-quality evidence is essential to the ongoing acceptance and use of these serious games as part of the school curriculum

Nutrition knowledge and skills among young endurance athletes

Nutrition plays an important role in athletic performance. Its full potential is rarely realized due to limited nutrition knowledge among athletes and their coaches. Misunderstandings and gaps in knowledge can lead to food choices that do not support athletic development. This thesis study was undertaken to gain further insight into the nutrition knowledge of young Finnish endurance athletes. Another aim was to evaluate how athletes’ knowledge and nutritional skills can be improved. Study I created and validated a questionnaire measuring knowledge in different areas of sports nutrition. This questionnaire was then used in Study II, which aimed to measure the nutrition knowledge of young Finnish endurance athletes and their coaches. The results of Study II were used to develop an education intervention, aiming to improve athletes’ nutrition knowledge and dietary intake, in Study III. The intervention compared the effects of participatory nutrition sessions alone to those enhanced by a mobile app. In Study II, a total of 312 athletes and 94 coaches completed the questionnaire. The athletes were 17.9±1.2 and the coaches 44.3±12.3 years old. Half of the athletes were women and half men; of the coaches 27% were women. Of the athletes 36% were cross country skiers, 35% orienteers and the rest other endurance athletes. Seventy-nine athletes took part in the intervention in Study III. Their mean age was 18.0±1.4 years, 56% of them were men and 44% were women, and 42% were cross-country skiers. The education in the intervention was based on the Self-Determination Theory and the concept of meaningful learning processes. The education sessions included discussions, tasks and goal setting, which were all intended to increase the athletes’ intrinsic motivation. This motivation in turn is a prerequisite for effective learning. The three sessions lasted 90 minutes each and were held fortnightly. The athletes filled in the questionnaire at baseline and a week and three months after the last session. The athletes in the mobile app group used the app for four days after each session and took photos of everything they ate or drank. Both groups completed a three-day food diary at baseline and three months after the last session and received personal feedback on it. On average, the athletes in Study II answered 73% and the coaches 81% of the items correctly. However, over a half of the athletes and 44% of the coaches scored below the mean knowledge score, at worst answering only 47% of the items correctly. The coaches scored better in all sections of the questionnaire. The questions in the ‘Dietary supplements’ section proved to be the most difficult for the athletes, and those in the ‘Nutrition recommendations for endurance athletes’ section for the coaches. The older the athletes were, the higher was their mean nutrition knowledge score. Among the coaches, the situation was the opposite. On average, the female athletes and coaches scored better than the men. The athletes who were part of a national team had higher knowledge scores than those who were not. The athletes’ nutrition knowledge improved significantly during the intervention. At baseline, their knowledge score was 78%. A week after the education sessions, the athletes in the mobile app group answered on average 87% of the questions correctly and three months later, 86%. In the group without the mobile app, the scores were 85% and 84%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in any sections of the questionnaire. The mean energy intake of the athletes was below the estimated energy expenditure during Study III. The intake of protein and fat met the recommendations for endurance athletes, but the intake of carbohydrates was below them (6–10 g·kg-1·day-1) throughout the study, even though it slightly improved. At the end of the intervention, the athletes in the mobile app group consumed 5.4 g·kg-1·day-1 of carbohydrates and the athletes in the other group 5.0 g·kg-1·day-1. Many psychological, social and economic factors affect what we eat. Improved knowledge does not automatically lead to better food choices if the intention to perform the behavioural change is lacking. The duration of the intervention may also have been too short for notable behavioural changes. In addition, already at the beginning of the study the diet of the athletes was better than that of the general Finnish population, thus leaving less room for dietary improvements. Nutrition knowledge improved after only three education sessions and food diary feedback, but the mobile app did not further improve this learning. Thus, if sport clubs and other sport organizations dedicated even a relatively small amount of time and other resources to structured, targeted, motivational and science-based nutrition education, it may promote positive changes in nutrition knowledge. As athletes make use of the skills they learn during their sports careers in their everyday lives as well as when training other athletes, receiving influential nutrition education could also benefit their performance and health in the future.Hyvä ravitsemustila vaikuttaa urheilijan terveyteen, kehittymiseen, suorituskykyyn ja palautumiseen. Sen tärkeys voi kuitenkin jäädä huomioimatta urheilijoilta ja valmentajilta, sillä heidän ravitsemustiedoissaan on usein puutteita. Harhaluulot ja väärinymmärrykset voivat johtaa ruokavalintoihin, jotka eivät tue urheilemista. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella nuorten urheilijoiden ravitsemustietoja voidaan parantaa ravitsemusohjauksella. Jo suhteellisen pienellä ajan- ja muiden resurssien käytöllä voidaan saada aikaan merkittäviä muutoksia ravitsemusosaamisessa. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin, millaista 16–20-vuotiaiden suomalaisten kestävyysurheilijoiden ravitsemusosaaminen on ja miten siihen voidaan vaikuttaa. Tutkimuksen alussa luotiin ja validoitiin kyselylomake mittaamaan osaamista urheiluravitsemuksen eri osa-alueilla. Kyselytutkimukseen osallistui 312 urheilijaa ja 94 valmentajaa. Sen tuloksiin pohjautuen suunniteltiin luentomallista ravitsemusohjausta sekä mobiilisovellusta hyödyntävä ravitsemusinterventio, jolla urheilijoiden ravitsemustietoihin ja ruokavalintoihin pyrittiin vaikuttamaan. Kyselytutkimukseen osallistuneista urheilijoista puolet oli naisia ja puolet miehiä. Osallistuneista valmentajista 27 % oli naisia. Interventioon osallistui 79 urheilijaa, joista 56 % oli miehiä ja 44 % naisia. Vuorovaikutteista ravitsemusohjausta annettiin kolmesti kahden viikon välein. Toinen ryhmä käytti jokaisen luennon jälkeen mobiilisovellusta, jolla kuvattiin kaikki syömiset neljän päivän ajan ja tehtiin näihin liittyviä tehtäviä. He saivat sovelluksen kautta palautetta ruokavaliostaan. Molemmat ryhmät täyttivät kolme vuorokautta ruokapäiväkirjaa tutkimuksen alussa ja lopussa ja saivat tästä palautetta. Kyselytutkimuksessa urheilijat vastasivat keskimäärin 73 % ja valmentajat 81 % kysymyksistä oikein, mutta vaihtelu oli suurta. Heikoimmillaan urheilijat vastasivat alle puoliin kysymyksistä oikein. Valmentajien ravitsemusosaaminen oli parempaa kaikilla kyselyn osa-alueilla. Haasteellisimmiksi osoittautuivat ravintolisiin ja urheilijoiden ravitsemussuosituksiin liittyvät väittämät. Nuoremmilla urheilijoilla oli tiedoissaan enemmän puutteita kuin vanhemmilla; valmentajilla tilanne oli päinvastainen. Naisurheilijat ja -valmentajat saivat keskimäärin miehiä parempia tuloksia. Urheilijoiden ravitsemustiedot paranivat merkittävästi intervention aikana. Tutkimuksen alussa urheilijat vastasivat 78 % kysymyksistä oikein. Viikko luentojen jälkeen oikeita vastauksia oli mobiilisovellusryhmässä keskimäärin 87 % ja kolmen kuukauden päästä 86 %; toisessa ryhmässä vastaavasti 85 ja 84 %. Urheilijoiden keskimääräinen energiansaanti jäi alle arvioidun kokonais-energiankulutuksen, vaikka se tutkimuksen aikana kasvoikin. Proteiineja ja rasvoja saatiin kestävyysurheilijoiden ravitsemussuositusten mukaisesti, mutta hiilihydraatinsaanti jäi suosituksista. Ruokavalintoihin vaikuttavat monet psykologiset, sosiaaliset ja taloudelliset tekijät. Parantuneet tiedot eivät suoraan johda parempiin ruokavalintoihin, jos riittävää motivaatiota käyttäytymisen muutokseen ei ole. Muutokset voivat myös vaatia aikaa, miksi intervention lyhyehkö kesto voi selittää sen, ettei ruokavalioissa tapahtunut tilastollisesti merkitseviä muutoksia. Lisäksi urheilijat söivät jo lähtötilanteessa paremmin kuin suomalaiset keskimäärin. Nuorten urheilijoiden ravitsemustietoja voidaan parantaa merkittävästi huolellisesti suunnitellulla, vuorovaikutteisella, ryhmämuotoisella ravitsemusohjauksella. Urheilijat voivat hyödyntää oppimiaan tietoja uransa aikana sekä sen jälkeen, mikä voi näkyä heidän suorituskyvyssään ja terveydessään. Heidän on lisäksi mahdollista toimia esimerkkeinä muille sekä auttaa ravitsemukseen liittyvien harhaluulojen torjumisessa

Nutrapp

Treball desenvolupat dins el marc del programa 'European Project Semester'.It is the responsibility of one group from the European Project Semester based in Vilanova i la Geltrú to work on a brief supplied by the company Nutrapp, a Spanish based country. The company offers support and guidance in the form of nutritional advice for those that seek it- this mainly being people who suffer from weight issues or have restricted diets among other things. Throughout the duration of the European Project Semester, the team work on designing and programming an application that will enable Nutrapp to prescribe advice to their clients. The initial stages of the project focus on research and learning. Several different research methods are used in the project; it was found that there are a considerable number of similar applications on the market, as a result developing something that is innovative is difficult. At the start of the programming phase, it was deliberated and finally decided that Android Studios would be the chosen tool for the project. The process of the project is clearly outlined, from details on how the project was managed, including time management charts to layout designs and prototyping. The group is inexperienced in this field, had to learn about application design and programming, all of which is included