However, Chen also cautions against using apps as a panacea for weight loss woes. This includes using an app with an Australian database of foods.” “Lastly, choose an app that’s easy to use and easy to log your food. “Check to see if the information provided in the app matches up with reliable sources on healthy eating, such as the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Apps that include more motivational components, such as points, levels, feedback, rewards and challenges, are more likely to lead to changes in behaviour. “Choose an app which includes techniques for changing behaviour – these were generally the apps which rated the best in our evaluation. We found that a large number of weight loss apps are developed by people with little scientific understanding of what would support weight loss,” she said. “Make sure the app comes from a credible source, and that health professionals have been involved in developing it.
If you’re looking for a weight loss app, Chen says there are a few things to consider to ensure you don’t choose a dud.
The worst overestimated by 1001 kilojoules (239 calories) and underestimated by 700 kilojoules (167 calories). The kilojoule measures used in the apps differed by an average of 127 kilojoules (30 calories) from the actual nutritional measure, but this varied significantly between the apps. “Although they’re clearly not perfect for managing weight loss, apps are becoming increasingly popular for both consumers and clinicians,” said lead author Juliana Chen, a dietitian and PhD candidate in the Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Science. Each app was used for five days and assessed against a range of quality measures: the credibility of their information source the accuracy and coverage of scientific information the inclusion of enhanced features (like barcode scanners) usability and, most importantly, their likelihood of changing health behaviours. Published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, the study is the first in Australia to comprehensively test the quality and evidence base of dietary weight loss apps, and the first in the world to test kilojoule measures reported in the app against the reference standard for Australia.Īfter examining 800 apps for the study, researchers selected 28 apps that were weight management-specific and allowed for logging food intake. Australian app Control My Weight (CalorieKing Wellness Solutions) and Calorie Counter Pro (MyNetDiary Inc) were jointly rated the second best apps. Researchers found considerable inaccuracy and poor scientific basis in many apps, but found Noom Weight Loss Coach (Noom Inc) the most likely to change behaviour and assist weight loss. The best apps for weight loss have been ranked by experts from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre in a world-first study of their accuracy and scientific basis.
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