Evaluation of the Diet Tracking Smartphone Application Keenoa ™ : A Qualitative Analysis

• Published in: Canadian journal of dietetic practice and research Vol. 83; no. 1; pp. 25 - 29
• Main Authors: Bouzo, Valerie, Plourde, Hugues, Beckenstein, Hailee, Cohen, Tamara R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Dietitians of Canada 01.03.2022
• Subjects: Applications programs; Artificial intelligence; Canada; Clients; Computer programs; Data collection; Data entry; Diaries; Diet; Diet - methods; Diet Records; Dietary intake; Dietitians; Evaluation; Exercise; Feedback; Food; Food intake; Health aspects; Humans; Meals; Mobile Applications; Mobile computing; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Physical activity; Product/Service Evaluations; Qualitative analysis; Questions; Smart phones; Smartphone; Smartphones; Software; Surveys; User training; Canada; intelligence artificielle; nutrition assessment; Mobile applications; applications mobiles; diet records; évaluation nutritionnelle; artificial intelligence; journal alimentaire
• ISSN: 1486-3847; 2292-9592
• DOI: 10.3148/cjdpr-2021-022

Keenoa™ is a novel Canadian diet application (app) currently used by Canadian dietitians to collect diet-related data from clients. The goal of this study was to evaluate Keenoa™ based on user feedback and compare it to a conventional pen and paper method. One hundred and two participants were recruited and randomly assigned to record their diets using this application for 3 nonconsecutive days. Following this, participants were invited to complete an online “exit” survey. Seventy-two subjects responded, with 50 completing an open-ended question asking for general feedback about the app. Data were reviewed and 3 main themes emerged: strengths, challenges, and future recommendations. Strengths associated with the app consisted of picture recognition software, the additional commentary feature, and the overall pleasant data collection process. Challenges that were identified included inconsistencies with the barcode scanning features, the limited food database, time to enter food details, and software issues. Future recommendations included using a larger food database, pairing dietary intake with physical activity monitoring, and having accessible nutritional data. Despite these limitations, participants preferred using mobile apps to record diet compared with traditional written food diaries.