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Great 'app-eal' but not there yet: a review of iPhone nutrition applications relevant to child weight management
journal contribution
posted on 2015-12-01, 00:00 authored by T L Burrows, A Z Khambalia, R Perry, D Carty, G A Hendrie, M A Allman-Farinelli, S P Garnett, Sarah McNaughtonSarah McNaughton, A M Rangan, H Truby, C E Collins, R K GolleyAims: There is increasing interest in the use of smartphone applications (apps) for delivering child obesity management interventions and supporting lifestyle behaviour change; however, there has been very little academic research on their development. Our aim is to review nutrition-related apps designed for children currently available in Australia for their usefulness in education or support behavioural interventions for child obesity. Methods: Apps available for download in iTunes Australia between 2 April and 3 June 2013 which were suitable for children >12 years were identified. Key words were chosen to identify apps applicable to children, focusing on nutrition. Results: A total of 27 apps were included. Most apps (24/27) were not based on evidence-informed recommendations. A third of apps were developed in the USA (n = 10; 37%) and were free (67%), nine apps required upfront payment, with a mean cost of $A2.80 (range $A0.99-$A7.49). The most common nutrition features were the promotion of energy balance (n = 12 apps) and guidance on appropriate portion size (n = 15). The most common behaviour change feature was goal setting (n = 15). The five apps that scored most highly against the characteristics reviewed were: Calorie Counter Pro by My Net Diary, Weight Watchers, Swap It Don't Stop It, Control My Weight by CalorieKing and Rate What I Ate-Photo Diet Tracker. Conclusions: Very few apps were identified that could be used in education or support behavioural interventions for child obesity. There is a need to harness this technology and evaluate the applicability and use within childhood obesity research interventions.
History
Journal
Nutrition and dieteticsVolume
72Issue
4Pagination
363 - 367Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellLocation
Chichester, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
1747-0080eISSN
1747-0080Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2015, Dietitians Association of AustraliaUsage metrics
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