TABLE 3.
Nutrition content delivered through applications in included studies, organized by study type1
| Nutrition content | Nutrition-improvement trials (n = 13) | Application-description papers (n = 21) | Qualitative studies (n = 4) |
| Content areas | |||
| Food composition | |||
| Decreasing undesirable nutrients (sugar, saturated fat, sodium) | 7 (36, 50, 53, 56–58, 62) | 4 (77, 80, 83, 92) | — |
| Specific macro-/micronutrients | 4 (36, 51, 53, 58) | 7 (74, 76, 80, 83, 85, 91, 92) | — |
| General healthy eating/nutritional knowledge | 4 (47, 52, 60, 63) | 6 (68, 70, 73, 78, 85, 90) | 1 (93) |
| Food groups general | 2 (36, 48) | 2 (80, 89) | — |
| Food group balance | — | 2 (85, 86) | 1 (97) |
| Portion sizing | — | 2 (68, 86) | — |
| Glycemic index | — | 1 (80) | — |
| Relative healthiness of meals (ingredients, preparation) | — | 1 (79) | — |
| Diet-health links | |||
| Diet-disease link | 2 (47, 57) | 4 (65, 74, 75, 80) | 1 (98) |
| Eating for life stage | — | 2 (68, 76) | 1 (95) |
| Information about specific diets (e.g., Mediterranean) | — | 2 (64, 72) | — |
| Consequences (negative and positive) of dietary choices | — | 1 (65) | — |
| Dietary strategies for enhancing nutrient absorption | — | 1 (74) | — |
| General importance of healthy eating | — | 1 (73) | — |
| Feeding practices | |||
| Meal planning | 1 (48) | 1 (75) | — |
| Eating slowly and mindfully | 1 (48) | 1 (88) | — |
| Eating breakfast | 1 (62) | — | — |
| Time-management tips | — | 1 (65) | — |
| Feedback | |||
| Tailored feedback [healthiness (e.g., star rating)/hints/tips/strategies] based on food logging/scanning ± anthropometrics/life stage | 7 (36, 50–53, 58, 62) | 5 (75, 77, 83, 86, 88) | 4 (93, 95, 97, 98) |
| Alternative, healthier food suggestions based on logging/scanning | 5 (50, 51, 53, 58, 62) | 1 (77) | — |
| Questions posed based on food logging | 2 (56, 60) | — | — |
| Within-game feedback/education on answers | 1 (63) | 4 (70, 79, 85, 86) | — |
| Comparison of healthiness of food logging with other users | 1 (50) | 1 (78) | — |
| Information about affective and/or physiological consequences of dietary choices based on food logging | — | 1 (77) | 1 (98) |
| Crowdsourced feedback on healthiness of food logging | — | 1 (78) | — |
| Game characters react to food logging | — | 1 (77) | — |
| General nutritional information | |||
| Links to additional information | 2 (48, 60) | 1 (65) | 1 (95) |
| Answers to frequently asked nutritional questions | 1 (60) | — | 1 (95) |
| Dietary guidelines (tailored to life stage) | 1 (36) | — | 1 (95) |
| Nutritional tools | |||
| Practical dietary examples of nutrients | 2 (48, 56) | 3 (74, 76, 85) | — |
| Portion-sizing guide with photographs | — | 2 (76, 86) | — |
| Meal balance wheel | — | 1 (86) | — |
| Environmental supports | |||
| Food product recommendations based on dietary guidelines/user-defined criteria | 2 (53, 58) | 4 (64, 65, 91, 92) | — |
| Strategies/plans/tips for helping children eat more vegetables | — | 2 (68, 89) | — |
| Information about local dietitians, weight-loss programs | — | 1 (86) | — |
| Warnings about high-level energy or fat of scanned foods | — | 1 (83) | — |
| Context triggered advice/intervention (e.g., based on location) | — | — | 1 (93) |
1
Values are n (reference numbers).