NCT05166226

PortionSize Study 2 Free-Living Evaluation

The Reliability and Validity of the PortionSize™ and MyFitnessPal Apps (Study 2: Semi-controlled, Free-living Evaluation)

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 45 (actual)
• Sponsor: Pennington Biomedical Research Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 62 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objective is to test the accuracy of the PortionSize™ app and the MyFitnessPal© app at measuring energy and nutrient intake in free-living conditions. Participants will use PortionSize™ and MyFitnessPal apps in separate periods to test the accuracy of the respective apps.

Detailed description

Accurately quantifying food intake is vital to promoting health and reducing chronic disease risk. Food intake encompasses energy intake, nutrient intake (macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, minerals), and intake of various food groups (e.g., fruits, vegetables), and thus reflects the nutritional status of individuals. Nutrition affects disease risk, including risk of developing obesity, diabetes, and cancer, all of which negatively affect the United States (U.S). Nonetheless, accurate assessment of food and nutrient intake has remained challenging, despite an improvement in methods. Self report methods, namely food records, are a mainstay of nutritional epidemiology research, with food recall being another popular method. These methods rely on the participant to accurately estimate portion size and, for food recall, remember what was consumed. The accuracy of these methods have been questioned and the problems with human recall have been comprehensively outlined. As a result, there remains a significant need for methods that are sufficiently accurate to provide researchers with good outcome data and to guide health promotion efforts. The PortionSize™ app was designed by our laboratory to overcome the limitations outlined above, and to guide users to follow specific diets. PortionSize™ relies on users capturing images of their food selection and waste. Food intake data are immediately provided since the user relies on built in tools, including templates, to estimate portion size. However, despite promising early indications, the PortionSize™ app has yet to be fully validated. Determining the accuracy and reliability of PortionSize™ is vital before the app can be used by people to obtain immediate feedback about their food intake. We accordingly aim to test the reliability and validity of PortionSize™ in a semi-controlled free-living environment using food provision, where participants consume pre-weighed food from a cooler and return the plate waste in the cooler. We will also test the reliability and validity of the MyFitnessPal app in the same semi-controlled free-living environment. The accuracy of the apps will also be compared to each other.

Conditions

• Dietary Habits

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-01-10
• Primary completion: 2022-11-11
• Completion: 2025-12-31
• First posted: 2021-12-21
• Last updated: 2025-12-15
• Results posted: 2025-12-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States