MySnackTracker for Food Diary

Overseen By Karen M Basen-Engquist, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Must not be taking: GLP-1 agonists

Disqualifiers: Under 18, Pregnant, Bariatric surgery, Cancer, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 12 months

90 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

To learn if a method of abbreviated food tracking (called MySnackTracker) is a reasonable alternative to traditional full-intake food tracking and to compare the adherence to and acceptability of each method.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you cannot participate if you are using or planning to use a GLP-1 agonist medication.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment MySnackTracker for food journaling?

Research on similar tools like myfood24 and FoodLog shows that electronic and smartphone-based food recording tools can be effective and acceptable for users, helping them track their diet more accurately and engage with healthcare professionals. These tools have shown reasonable compliance and usability, suggesting that MySnackTracker could also be effective in improving food journaling adherence and accuracy. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is MySnackTracker safe for use in humans?

The available research does not provide specific safety data for MySnackTracker, but similar dietary tracking tools have been evaluated for usability and user satisfaction, indicating they are generally well-received and considered user-friendly. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How is the MySnackTracker treatment different from other treatments for tracking food intake?

MySnackTracker is unique because it focuses on real-time food tracking using a smartphone app, which allows users to log their food intake with timestamped photos and annotations. This approach captures not only the quantity and quality of food but also the timing and variation of eating patterns, providing a more comprehensive view of dietary habits compared to traditional food journals or nutrient apps. ^{6 11 12 13 14}

Research Team

Karen M Basen-Engquist, MD

Principal Investigator

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for individuals interested in dietary tracking. Specific eligibility criteria are not provided, so it's assumed that participants should be willing to use the MySnackTracker app and a Fitbit device for monitoring their food intake.

Inclusion Criteria

Current or previous participation in one of the following DFI cohorts: PA17-0584 (MERIT Study), Project CHURCH, High Risk Breast Cohort, Mexican-American Cohort, and rural cancer survivors from the Mind Your BEAT study

Provision of signed and dated informed consent form

Access to internet connection, email address, and smartphone able to download the intervention app

Exclusion Criteria

Self-reported current or planned participation in another weight loss intervention

BMI less than 28 or greater than 40

I am not currently trying to lose weight.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants use either MySnackTracker or Fitbit app to track dietary intake

12 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• MySnackTracker

Trial Overview The study is testing whether using the MySnackTracker app, which focuses on abbreviated food tracking, is as effective as traditional full-intake dietary monitoring methods. Participants will likely use both the app and a Fitbit to track their diet.

Participant Groups

Group I: Group 2: Fitbit Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants in Group 2, will use the Fitbit food logging app to track their dietary intake. Participants will be asked to log all food and drink intake.

Group II: Group 1: MySnackTracker Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants in Group 1 will use MySnackTracker to track their dietary intake. Participants will be asked to log only high-calorie, low-nutrient food and drinks, or snacks" (for example, cookies, chips and dip, and alcohol). A full list of these foods and drinks is provided in the app.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials

3,107

Recruited

1,813,000+

Findings from Research

The 'myfood24 Healthcare' app was found to be acceptable for both patients and healthcare professionals in a feasibility study involving 48 participants from weight management and gastroenterology surgery programs.

Compliance with the app was reasonable, with 50% of users recording their dietary intake for four or more days, indicating potential for effective dietary monitoring and support in clinical settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usability of myfood24 Healthcare and Mathematical Diet Optimisation in Clinical Populations: A Pilot Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial. Threapleton, DE., Beer, SL., Foley, DJ., et al.[2023]

Untrained individuals can accurately rate the diet quality of food photos using the Traffic Light Diet (TLD) approach, achieving over 75% accuracy in categorizing foods as red, yellow, or green.

Crowdsourcing feedback from a relatively small number of participants (as few as 15) can provide reliable diet quality ratings, suggesting that this method could effectively reduce the burden of dietary self-monitoring.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Crowdsourcing for self-monitoring: Using the Traffic Light Diet and crowdsourcing to provide dietary feedback. Turner-McGrievy, GM., Wilcox, S., Kaczynski, AT., et al.[2022]

The mobile Food Record (mFR) method showed a significant correlation between reported energy intake and total energy expenditure, indicating its accuracy in dietary assessment among 45 participants over 7.5 days.

Participants found the mFR easy to use, and it performed comparably to traditional dietary records, with no systematic biases detected in the data collection process.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reported Energy Intake Accuracy Compared to Doubly Labeled Water and Usability of the Mobile Food Record among Community Dwelling Adults. Boushey, CJ., Spoden, M., Delp, EJ., et al.[2023]

The Keenoa™ app was preferred over traditional pen and paper methods for diet recording among participants, indicating a positive user experience with digital data collection.

While the app had strengths like picture recognition and a pleasant interface, challenges such as barcode scanning issues and a limited food database were noted, suggesting areas for improvement to enhance its efficacy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of the Diet Tracking Smartphone Application Keenoa™: A Qualitative Analysis. Bouzo, V., Plourde, H., Beckenstein, H., et al.[2022]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

EarBit: Using Wearable Sensors to Detect Eating Episodes in Unconstrained Environments. [2020]

2. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Usability of myfood24 Healthcare and Mathematical Diet Optimisation in Clinical Populations: A Pilot Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial. [2023]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Smart phones are useful for food intake and physical activity surveys. [2020]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Validation of a self-administered form for recording food intake in hospital patients. [2019]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Comparative Study of the Routine Daily Usability of FoodLog: A Smartphone-based Food Recording Tool Assisted by Image Retrieval. [2021]

6. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adaptation and Evaluation of Myfood24-Germany: A Web-Based Self-Administered 24-h Dietary Recall for the German Adult Population. [2021]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Crowdsourcing for self-monitoring: Using the Traffic Light Diet and crowdsourcing to provide dietary feedback. [2022]

8. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reported Energy Intake Accuracy Compared to Doubly Labeled Water and Usability of the Mobile Food Record among Community Dwelling Adults. [2023]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Formative research of a quick list for an automated self-administered 24-hour dietary recall. [2015]

10. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of the Diet Tracking Smartphone Application Keenoa™: A Qualitative Analysis. [2022]

11. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Qualitative Evaluation of the eaTracker® Mobile App. [2019]

12. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The website-based eaTracker® 'My Goals' feature: a qualitative evaluation. [2023]

13. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

5 A Day. [2017]

14. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessing temporal eating pattern in free living humans through the myCircadianClock app. [2023]