Adherence
Using a mobile app to self-monitor dietary intake results in lower energy intake compared to using a paper journal, although it does not significantly differ from using a website for diet monitoring.
If you are tracking food, a mobile app may help you eat fewer calories than using a paper journal, likely because it is easier and faster. However, this study did not find that app users lost more weight or had lower BMI than those using websites or paper journals, so the method matters less than the act of tracking itself.
app users consumed less energy (1437±188 kcal/day) than paper journal users (2049±175 kcal/day; p=0.01) at 6 months. BMI did not differ among the three diet monitoring methods (p=0.20).
Why this rating
Post-hoc analysis; self-selected methods; self-reported dietary data via 24h recalls.
Source
Comparison of traditional versus mobile app self-monitoring of physical activity and dietary intake among overweight adults participating in an mHealth weight loss program
Gabrielle Turner‐McGrievy et al. · Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association · 2013
DOI 10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001510
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