RFPM + SmartIntake App Validation for Caloric Intake

(FoodPhone2 Trial)

Overseen By Corby K Martin, PhD

Age: < 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Disqualifiers: Others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 3 days

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial evaluates how effectively the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) and the SmartIntake app estimate calorie intake in teens over several days. Although small, the study will offer valuable insights for future research. Teens aged 12-18 who are comfortable using a food tracking app and sharing information with the study team for a few days may be suitable participants. As an unphased trial, it provides teens an opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance dietary tracking methods.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What prior data suggests that the Remote Food Photography Method and SmartIntake app are safe for adolescents?

Research has shown that specific safety information for the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) and the SmartIntake app is not available. These tools estimate food intake and are generally non-invasive, as they do not physically touch the body. The study is in a "Not Applicable" phase, focusing on testing the accuracy of these tools rather than assessing health risks. This phase typically indicates that the app and method are expected to be safe, as they are solely for tracking dietary intake. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the RFPM and SmartIntake app because these tools offer a modern, tech-savvy way to accurately track caloric intake. Unlike traditional methods like food diaries or calorie counting apps that rely heavily on user input, the RFPM uses advanced photo recognition technology to analyze food portions, reducing human error. The SmartIntake app complements this by streamlining data collection, making it easier and potentially more engaging for users to manage their dietary habits. This combination promises to enhance the accuracy of dietary assessments and supports healthier lifestyle choices.

What evidence suggests that the RFPM and SmartIntake app are effective for estimating caloric intake?

Research has shown that the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) effectively estimates energy intake from food. In earlier studies, RFPM demonstrated only a 3.7% error rate when measuring adult food consumption. The SmartIntake app, which complements RFPM, aims to simplify and enhance the accuracy of dietary tracking. This trial will validate these tools specifically for teenagers. Although the focus is on teenagers, the tools have already proven effective in adults for measuring energy intake, suggesting they could also accurately track teenagers' food consumption. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Corby K Martin, PhD

Principal Investigator

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

Adolescents aged 12-18, with parental support for participants under 18, are eligible for this study. They must be willing to use the RFPM/SmartIntake app for about three days and respond to study staff when needed. The trial is open to boys and girls of any race.

Inclusion Criteria

When using the RFPM/SmartIntake app, study staff may prompt participants for additional information when needed

Almost all of the participants in the study had parental support of the project, except for 18-year-olds.

The company is willing to use the RFPM/SmartIntake app for 3 days, in addition to a 1-2 day run-in period.

Exclusion Criteria

Individuals may not qualify for this study based on other eligibility criteria not listed. The study coordinator determine this on a case-by-case basis

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

Treatment

Participants use the Remote Food Photography Method and SmartIntake app to measure energy intake over three days

3 days

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for accuracy of energy intake measurement after the initial data collection

1 week

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Tests of the validity of the RFPM and SmartIntake app

Trial Overview The trial tests the accuracy of the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) and SmartIntake app in estimating adolescents' energy intake over several days against a scientific standard called doubly labeled water.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Study sample Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Individuals who participate in this validation study

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

314

Recruited

183,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A study comparing nutrient intake calculations from five popular nutrition tracking apps with a research-grade dietary analysis software (NDSR) found that the apps generally reported lower nutrient values, including protein, fat, sodium, and cholesterol.

Correlations between the apps and NDSR were strong for energy and macronutrients (0.73 to 0.96), but significant discrepancies were noted for specific nutrients, indicating that while the apps can be useful, they may underestimate actual nutrient intake.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessment of the accuracy of nutrient calculations of five popular nutrition tracking applications. Griffiths, C., Harnack, L., Pereira, MA.[2023]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6231842/

The Remote Food Photography Method and SmartIntake ... RFPM has excellent evidence for validity in measuring energy intake in the general adult population; RFPM estimates had only a 3.7% error rate when compared ...

2. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-9-2020-54b36

RFPM + SmartIntake App Validation for Caloric Intake · Info ... The primary aim of this small study is to test the validity of the Remote Food Photography Method and an updated SmartIntake app in a sample of adolescents.

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3975169/

Validity of the Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) ... The RFPM's ability to accurately estimate energy intake in free-living adults (N=50) over six days, and energy and nutrient intake in laboratory-based meals.

4. journals.plos.org journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0163833

Development and Application of the Remote Food ... The Remote Food Photography Method (RFPM) is a novel, validated method for measuring food intake that utilizes digital photography of food provision (before ...

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S0195666323026387

Amount of food consumed matters more than dietary com Sensor-based measures of energy intake, like bite counting, can be accurate by measuring the amount of food consumed, not its composition.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11381165/

Evaluating the Validity of the PortionSize Smartphone App ... Evaluate the validity of the PortionSize™ app. In this pilot study, 14 adults used PortionSize™ to record their free-living food intake over ...

7. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/3/200

Validation of a Tablet Application for Assessing Dietary ... The objective was to assess the validity of a tablet app, modified to contain detailed nutritional composition data, in comparison to a measured food intake/ ...

8. mhealth.jmir.org mhealth.jmir.org/2020/7/e16405

Wearable Technology to Quantify the Nutritional Intake of Adults This paper describes the development of a reference method to validate the wristband's estimation of daily nutritional intake of 25 free-living ...

9. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02790502

Study Details | NCT02790502 | OSU Plate Waste Study However, people respond less to the RFPM/SmartIntake app and experiment results show that the underestimation from RFPM does not vary with energy intake level12 ...