NYMC Faculty Publications
Weight Loss Following Use of a Smartphone Food Photo Feature: Retrospective Cohort Study
Additional Author Affiliation
Touro College
DOI
10.2196/11917
Journal Title
JMIR mHealth and uHealth
First Page
11917
Last Page
11917
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-29-2019
Department
Pediatrics
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Tracking of dietary intake is key to enhancing weight loss. Mobile apps may be useful for tracking food intake and can provide feedback about calories and nutritional value. Recent technological developments have enabled image recognition to identify foods and track food intake.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the effectiveness of using photography as a feature of a smartphone weight loss app to track food intake in adults who were overweight or obese.
METHODS: We analyzed data from individuals (age, 18-65 years; body mass index≥25 kg/m
RESULTS: Weight loss was greater in the group using the photo feature (Δ=0.14%; 95% CI 0.06-0.22; P
CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first to examine the effect of a food photo feature to track food intake on weight loss in a free-living setting. Use of photo recognition was associated with greater weight loss, which was mediated by the duration of app use and number of logged days in the program.
Recommended Citation
Ben Neriah, D., & Geliebter, A. (2019). Weight Loss Following Use of a Smartphone Food Photo Feature: Retrospective Cohort Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7 (6), 11917-11917. https://doi.org/10.2196/11917