![]() In past reviews of diet-related health apps, it was found that adoption of behavior change theory tended to be quite poor. However, it remains unclear how many of the current diet-tracking apps employ such features that are consistent with behavior change theory. Using a diet-tracking app may improve self-monitoring, goal setting, and knowledge and develop self-efficacy-all of which are key behavior change constructs. Tracking the consumption of certain foods and drinks may potentially help individuals achieve an improved understanding of their dietary patterns. Within this group of apps, diet-tracking apps are very popular, with some downloaded as much as 50 million times (based on MyFitnessPal for Android market, April 2017). ![]() These apps have the potential to facilitate tracking of health-related behaviors and weight management. In 2017, a total of 325,000 mobile health (mHealth) apps were available in major app stores, and the number of users of mHealth apps will continue to rise in the upcoming years. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2019 7(5):e9232 doi:10.2196/mhealth.9232 KeywordsĪ large number of apps focused on health and fitness have emerged on the smartphone market. Comparing the apps with the USDA reference for a 3-day diet, the average differences were 1.4% for calories, 1.0% for carbohydrates, 10.4% for protein, and −6.5% for fat.Ĭonclusions: Almost all reviewed diet-tracking apps scored well with respect to usability, used a variety of behavior change constructs, and accurately coded calories and carbohydrates, allowing them to play a potential role in dietary intervention studies. The exception to this was features related to the Reinforcement domain, which were correlated with less usability. The presence of behavior change domain features tended to be weakly correlated with greater usability, with R 2 ranging from 0 to. None of the apps allowed for tracking of emotional factors that may be associated with diet patterns. App features varied considerably, yet all of the apps had features consistent with Beliefs about Capabilities and thus have the potential to promote self-efficacy by helping individuals track their diet and progress toward goals. Some variations in features were noted between Android and iOS versions of the same apps, mainly for MyDietCoach, which affected the SUS score. Results: Of the apps that were reviewed, LifeSum had the highest average SUS score of 89.2, whereas MyDietCoach had the lowest SUS score of 46.7. An estimated 3-day food diary was completed using each app, and food items were entered into the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Composition Databases to evaluate their differences in nutrient data against the USDA reference. Each app was independently scored by researchers using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and features were compared with the domains in an integrated behavior change theory framework: the Theoretical Domains Framework. Methods: The top 7 diet-tracking apps were identified from the iOS iTunes and Android Play online stores, downloaded and used over a 2-week period. Objective: The aim of this study was to review the usability of current iPhone operating system (iOS) and Android diet-tracking apps, the degree to which app features align with behavior change constructs, and to assess variations between apps in nutrient coding. Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal 10 articlesĭepartment of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciencesġ959 NE Pacific Street, Campus Box 357234īackground: Smartphone diet-tracking apps may help individuals lose weight, manage chronic conditions, and understand dietary patterns however, the usabilities and functionalities of these apps have not been well studied.JMIR Bioinformatics and Biotechnology 32 articles.JMIR Biomedical Engineering 68 articles.Journal of Participatory Medicine 78 articles.JMIR Perioperative Medicine 89 articles.JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies 201 articles.JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting 279 articles.Interactive Journal of Medical Research 306 articles. ![]()
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