Abstract
BackgroundThe need for a better understanding of food consumption behaviour within its behavioural context has sparked the interest of nutrition researchers for user-documented food consumption data collected outside the research context using publicly available nutrition apps. The study aims to characterize the scientific, technical, legal and ethical features of this data in order to identify the opportunities and challenges associated with using this data for nutrition research.MethodA search for apps collecting food consumption data was conducted in October 2016 against UK Google Play and iTunes storefronts. 176 apps were selected based on user ratings and English language support. Publicly available information from the app stores and app-related websites was investigated and relevant data extracted and summarized. Our focus was on characteristics related to scientific relevance, data management and legal and ethical governance of user-documented food consumption data.ResultsFood diaries are the most common form of data collection, allowing for multiple inputs including generic food items, packaged products, or images. Standards and procedures for compiling food databases used for estimating energy and nutrient intakes remain largely undisclosed. Food consumption data is interlinked with various types of contextual data related to behavioural motivation, physical activity, health, and fitness. While exchange of data between apps is common practise, the majority of apps lack technical documentation regarding data export. There is a similar lack of documentation regarding the implemented terms of use and privacy policies. While users are usually the owners of their data, vendors are granted irrevocable and royalty free licenses to commercially exploit the data.ConclusionDue to its magnitude, diversity, and interconnectedness, user-documented food consumption data offers promising opportunities for a better understanding of habitual food consumption behaviour and its determinants. Non-standardized or non-documented food data compilation procedures, data exchange protocols and formats, terms of use and privacy statements, however, limit possibilities to integrate, process and share user-documented food consumption data. An ongoing research effort is required, to keep pace with the technical advancements of food consumption apps, their evolving data networks and the legal and ethical regulations related to protecting app users and their personal data.
Highlights
The need for a better understanding of food consumption behaviour within its behavioural context has sparked the interest of nutrition researchers for user-documented food consumption data collected outside the research context using publicly available nutrition apps
Food consumption data is interlinked with various types of contextual data related to behavioural motivation, physical activity, health, and fitness
In 70% of the cases, apps included from the iTunes store were free of charge with the remaining paid apps ranging in price from £0.79 to £3.99
Summary
The need for a better understanding of food consumption behaviour within its behavioural context has sparked the interest of nutrition researchers for user-documented food consumption data collected outside the research context using publicly available nutrition apps. The need for more suitable and effective methods for measuring, understanding and influencing food consumption behaviours has sparked interest amongst behavioural and nutrition researchers for these digital solutions Smartphones and their implemented technologies such as barcode scanners, image processors, microphones, databases, and wireless network interfaces have the potential to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of data collection and reduce the costs and inconvenience of assessing diets in real time [1, 5,6,7]. Users of diet apps generate “big data” - large volumes of information, that offer detailed descriptions of food consumptions, including time and place (e.g., using Global Positioning Systems; GPS) If these data-rich sources could be linked and analyzed, they have the potential to contribute greatly towards answering key questions regarding food and health (e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease) and to a better understanding of food consumption behaviour including its drivers and barriers [22]. In order to advance health and nutrition research, the European Union (EU) funded RICHFIELDS project (http://www.richfields.eu) aims to design an EU-wide research infrastructure (RI) and distributed open access data platform for the collection, integration, and sharing of food consumption data from various sources including the increasing stream of food consumption data documented by users of nutrition apps
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