Mobile Ecological Momentary Diet Assessment: A Low Burden, Ecologically-Valid Approach to Measuring Dietary Intake in Near-Real Time

ABSTRACT

The excessive intake of saturated fat and added sugars has been identified as a leading cause of premature

mortality among adults in the U.S. contributing to approximately 700,000 deaths each year. The 2015-2020

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting these nutrients to 70%) of

the saturated fat and added sugars in the American diet using recent NHANES data (Aim 1); develop with a

user-centered design the mEMDA app and analysis platform with visual food images for portion size estimation

and nutrient analysis capabilities (Aim 2); determine the best mEMDA sampling approach (event-contingent vs.

interval-contingent sampling) (Aim 3); and compare the accuracy of estimating energy intake from saturated fat

and added sugars using the optimized mEMDA app and sampling approach vs. interviewer-assisted 24HR in a

controlled-feeding study. Future applications of the mEMDA app include: (1) reliably assessing momentary

intakes of other foods or nutrients (e.g., fruit and vegetable intake, sodium), (2) integration with mobile

intervention platforms to give real-time, dietary feedback to participants (3) concurrent-capturing meal context

variables (e.g., social, environmental, and psycho-social variables) for future, just-in-time dietary interventions.