Sanjoy Saha

Background: PortionSize is a mobile app that allows users to assess dietary intake and provide feedback in real‐time. Objective: To assess the validity of the PortionSize app for estimating children's dietary intake when assessed by the children themselves (phase 1) and relative agreement of the app when assessed by their parents (phase 2). Methods: This pilot study recruited 31 child/parent dyads. Each dyad was trained on the PortionSize app to assess dietary intake. In phase 1, children (7–12 years) assessed dietary intake in a controlled setting, and their assessments were compared with weighed meals. In phase 2, parents assessed their child's dietary intake in a free‐living setting, and the criterion measure was the digital photography of foods (DPF) method. Results: Children's energy intake assessments using PortionSize were equivalent to weighed meals ( p < 0.05, effect size: 0.22), while energy intake estimates by parents using PortionSize were not equivalent to the DPF method ( p > 0.05, effect size: 0.26). The mean percent error between the measurements was 9.1% in phase 1 and 16.5% in phase 2. Conclusions: The findings suggest PortionSize may be accurate in controlled settings when used by children. In a free‐living setting when used by parents, results indicated PortionSize needs improvements in methods for estimating portion size and food identification. The study findings from phase 2 reflect feasibility and relative agreement rather than validation against true intake. This pilot study focuses on initial validity, relative agreement, and user satisfaction, indicating potential for future clinical and community‐based pediatric dietary and weight management applications. Trial Registration: NCT05587816 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05587816?term=PortionSize%20app&rank=1 )

Lack of nutrition knowledge, low preference for fruits and vegetables (F&V), and underdeveloped taste are recognized as modifiable influencers of children’s F&V intake.To assess the effectiveness o...

Background: Accurately assessing dietary intake can promote improved nutrition. The PortionSize app (Pennington Biomedical Research Center) was designed to quantify and provide real-time feedback on the intake of energy, food groups, saturated fat, and added sugar. Objective: This study aimed to assess the preliminary feasibility and validity of estimating food intake via the PortionSize app among adults. Methods: A total of 15 adults (aged 18-65 years) were recruited and trained to quantify the food intake from a simulated meal by using PortionSize. Trained personnel prepared 15 simulated meals and covertly weighed (weigh back) the amount of food provided to participants as well as food waste. Equivalence tests (±25% bounds) were performed to compare PortionSize to the weigh back method. Results: Participants were aged a mean of 28 (SD 12) years, and 11 were female. The mean energy intake estimated with PortionSize was 742.9 (SD 328.2) kcal, and that estimated via weigh back was 659.3 (SD 190.7) kcal (energy intake difference: mean 83.5, SD 287.5 kcal). The methods were not equivalent in estimating energy intake (P=.18), and PortionSize overestimated energy intake by 83.5 kcal (12.7%) at the meal level. Estimates of portion sizes (gram weight; P=.01), total sugar (P=.049), fruit servings (P=.01), and dairy servings (P=.047) from PortionSize were equivalent to those estimated via weigh back. PortionSize was not equivalent to weigh back with regard to estimates for carbohydrate (P=.10), fat (P=.32), vegetable (P=.37), grain (P=.31), and protein servings (P=.87). Conclusions: Due to power limitations, the equivalence tests had large equivalence bounds. Though preliminary, the results of this small pilot study warrant the further adaptation, development, and validation of PortionSize as a means to estimate energy intake and provide users with real-time and actionable dietary feedback.

The use of sensors available through smart devices has pervaded everyday life in several applications including human activity monitoring, healthcare, and social networks. In this study, we focus on the use of smartwatch accelerometer sensors to recognize eating activity. More specifically, we collected sensor data from 10 participants while consuming pizza. Using this information, and other comparable data available for similar events such as smoking and medication-taking, and dissimilar activities of jogging, we developed a LSTM-ANN architecture that has demonstrated 90% success in identifying individual bites compared to a puff, medication-taking or jogging activities.

BACKGROUND Accurately assessing dietary intake can promote improved nutrition. The PortionSize app (Pennington Biomedical Research Center) was designed to quantify and provide real-time feedback on the intake of energy, food groups, saturated fat, and added sugar. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the preliminary feasibility and validity of estimating food intake via the PortionSize app among adults. METHODS A total of 15 adults (aged 18-65 years) were recruited and trained to quantify the food intake from a simulated meal by using PortionSize. Trained personnel prepared 15 simulated meals and covertly weighed (weigh back) the amount of food provided to participants as well as food waste. Equivalence tests (±25% bounds) were performed to compare PortionSize to the weigh back method. RESULTS Participants were aged a mean of 28 (SD 12) years, and 11 were female. The mean energy intake estimated with PortionSize was 742.9 (SD 328.2) kcal, and that estimated via weigh back was 659.3 (SD 190.7) kcal (energy intake difference: mean 83.5, SD 287.5 kcal). The methods were not equivalent in estimating energy intake (P=.18), and PortionSize overestimated energy intake by 83.5 kcal (12.7%) at the meal level. Estimates of portion sizes (gram weight; P=.01), total sugar (P=.049), fruit servings (P=.01), and dairy servings (P=.047) from PortionSize were equivalent to those estimated via weigh back. PortionSize was not equivalent to weigh back with regard to estimates for carbohydrate (P=.10), fat (P=.32), vegetable (P=.37), grain (P=.31), and protein servings (P=.87). CONCLUSIONS Due to power limitations, the equivalence tests had large equivalence bounds. Though preliminary, the results of this small pilot study warrant the further adaptation, development, and validation of PortionSize as a means to estimate energy intake and provide users with real-time and actionable dietary feedback.

Background: Pneumonia and diarrhea are the leading causes of under-five (U5) child mortality in Bangladesh. Seeking appropriate care in timely manner may prevent U5 child mortality due to pneumonia and diarrhea, and thus, it is important to understand perception and barriers of health-seeking behavior of parents during childhood pneumonia and diarrhea in order to develop healthcare policies, and design programs to improve health care utilization practices in disadvantaged areas. The study aimed to explore the factors affecting health-seeking behavior during the first episode of childhood diarrhea and pneumonia.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, survey interviews with 392 mothers, and two focus group discussions (FGD) with fathers (n = 16) were conducted in two villages of Teknaf Upazila in a coastal district in Bangladesh.Results: Logistic regression analysis indicated that during childhood diarrhea, mother’s age, household monthly income, monthly health expenditure and mother’s knowledge regarding danger signs, and during childhood pneumonia, mothers’ education level, monthly household income, monthly expenditure for treatment, household size, and knowledge regarding danger signs were the predictors of mothers’ health-seeking behavior. Results from FGDs indicate that financial problems, low education, distance to health facilities, poor transport facilities hinder the ability to seek timely care during childhood diarrhea and pneumonia.Conclusions: Policies and programs should be in place to address barriers of health-seeking behaviors to reduce child mortality due to diarrhea and pneumonia in coastal areas.

Food insecurity has been undermining the health and well-being of a growing number of older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. This review aimed to examine the prevalence of food insecurity and the related contributing factors of food insecurity among older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. We used PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science Core Collection as our search engines and included 22 articles for data extraction. Prevalence of severe and moderate food insecurity in households with older adults ranged from 6.0 to 87.3% and from 8.3 to 48.5%, respectively. Various socio-economic (e.g., low education level, being widowed, low income, lower wealth position of households, living in a rental house, living in rural areas, lack of social grants or pensions), demographic (e.g., female, Black racial group, larger family size), and health and nutrition status-related (e.g., self-reported poor health status, having a functional and mobility-related disability, psychological disorders) factors influence food insecurity in older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings of this review can help stakeholders to prioritize the issue of food insecurity, design and implement policies and programs to improve food security among older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Studies have shown that the elderly are at a higher risk of developing malnutrition due to physiological and pathological changes. Several studies have confirmed that older South Africans have insufficient dietary diversity, resulting in nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, poor and uninformed dietary choices are associated with the development of several diseases and increased mortality. Following the Elderly Food Based Dietary Guidelines (EFBDGs) related to promoting elderly health could ensure that the elderly have an adequate intake of nutritious foods. This paper provides an overview of six FBDGs relating to promoting health and is based on the South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines.