Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Feb 1;13(1):1-15.
doi: 10.1093/advances/nmab103.

Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges of Technology Tools in Dietary and Activity Assessment: Bridging Stakeholder Viewpoints

Sai Krupa Das, Akari J Miki, Caroline M Blanchard, Edward Sazonov, Cheryl H Gilhooly, Sujit Dey, Colton B Wolk, Chor San H Khoo, James O Hill, Robin P Shook

Perspective: Opportunities and Challenges of Technology Tools in Dietary and Activity Assessment: Bridging Stakeholder Viewpoints

Sai Krupa Das et al. Adv Nutr. .

Abstract

The science and tools of measuring energy intake and output in humans have rapidly advanced in the last decade. Engineered devices such as wearables and sensors, software applications, and Web-based tools are now ubiquitous in both research and consumer environments. The assessment of energy expenditure in particular has progressed from reliance on self-report instruments to advanced technologies requiring collaboration across multiple disciplines, from optics to accelerometry. In contrast, assessing energy intake still heavily relies on self-report mechanisms. Although these tools have improved, moving from paper-based to online reporting, considerable room for refinement remains in existing tools, and great opportunities exist for novel, transformational tools, including those using spectroscopy and chemo-sensing. This report reviews the state of the science, and the opportunities and challenges in existing and emerging technologies, from the perspectives of 3 key stakeholders: researchers, users, and developers. Each stakeholder approaches these tools with unique requirements: researchers are concerned with validity, accuracy, data detail and abundance, and ethical use; users with ease of use and privacy; and developers with high adherence and utilization, intellectual property, licensing rights, and monetization. Cross-cutting concerns include frequent updating and integration of the food and nutrient databases on which assessments rely, improving accessibility and reducing disparities in use, and maintaining reliable technical assistance. These contextual challenges are discussed in terms of opportunities and further steps in the direction of personalized health.

Keywords: dietary assessment; food apps; image recognition; image-based dietary records; mobile health; physical activity; wearable device.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Villinger K, Wahl DR, Boeing H, Schupp HT, Renner B. The effectiveness of app-based mobile interventions on nutrition behaviours and nutrition-related health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2019;20(10):1465–84. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kirk MA, Amiri M, Pirbaglou M, Ritvo P. Wearable technology and physical activity behavior change in adults with chronic cardiometabolic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Health Promot. 2019;33(5):778–91. - PubMed
    1. Eldridge AL, Piernas C, Illner A-K, Gibney MJ, Gurinović MA, De Vries JHM, Cade JE. Evaluation of new technology-based tools for dietary intake assessment—an ILSI Europe Dietary Intake and Exposure Task Force evaluation. Nutrients. 2019;11:55. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vu T, Lin F, Alshurafa N, Xu W. Wearable food intake monitoring technologies: a comprehensive review. Computers. 2017;6(1):4.
    1. Doulah A, Mccrory MA, Higgins JA, Sazonov E. A systematic review of technology-driven methodologies for estimation of energy intake. IEEE Access. 2019;7:49653–68. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types