Chen Yoke San, Wong Jyh Eiin, Ayob Ainaa Fatehah, Othman Nor Effendy, Poh Bee Koon
Nutritional Sciences Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Research Center for Software Technology and Management, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Malaysia.
Nutrients. 2017 Jan 13;9(1):62. doi: 10.3390/nu9010062.
Mobile applications may improve dietary reporting among young adults due to their high accessibility and embedded camera function. This pilot study aimed to (i) evaluate users' acceptability and compliance in reporting dietary intake using a newly developed food diary mobile application (food app); and (ii) identify issues and recommendations for improving dietary assessment using this food app via quantitative and qualitative protocols. Twenty-eight university students each used a food app for seven consecutive days and attended one of five focus group interviews. A 42% decrement in reporting compliance was observed throughout the seven-day recording period. An average of 5.9 recording days were reported and 4.8 occasions of meal data were uploaded each day. Based on questionnaires, high levels of agreement were reported in terms of perceived usefulness (69.3%), perceived ease of use (77.1%), attitude (73.6%), perceived enjoyment (62.6%), and smartphone experience (91.1%), but such agreement was not reported for intention to use (38.1%) and social influence (33.4%). Four major themes emerged from the focus group interviews, namely, (i) features; (ii) potential use; (iii) utility issues of the food app; and (iv) suggestions for improvements. While the food app was well-accepted by most of the young adults, the current prototype would benefit from incorporation of a barcode scanning function, customizable reminders, in-app tutorial, an entertainment component, and enhancement in overall appearance.
移动应用程序因其高可及性和内置摄像头功能，可能会改善年轻人的饮食报告情况。这项试点研究旨在：（i）评估用户使用新开发的食物日记移动应用程序（食物应用）报告饮食摄入量时的可接受性和依从性；（ii）通过定量和定性方案确定使用该食物应用改善饮食评估的问题及建议。28名大学生每人连续七天使用一款食物应用，并参加了五个焦点小组访谈中的一个。在七天的记录期内，报告依从性下降了42%。平均报告了5.9个记录日，每天上传4.8次用餐数据。根据问卷调查，在感知有用性（69.3%）、感知易用性（77.1%）、态度（73.6%）、感知享受（62.6%）和智能手机使用体验（91.1%）方面，报告的认可度较高，但在使用意愿（38.1%）和社会影响（33.4%）方面并非如此。焦点小组访谈中出现了四个主要主题，即：（i）功能；（ii）潜在用途；（iii）食物应用的实用性问题；（iv）改进建议。虽然该食物应用得到了大多数年轻人的认可，但当前的原型通过纳入条形码扫描功能、可定制提醒、应用内教程、娱乐组件以及整体外观的改进将更有益处。
