Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
04:54
Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq
Published on: March 19, 2021
A Smartphone App to Improve Intuitive Eating and Diet Quality: Design and Usability Study
Mandy Korpusik1, Delaram YazdanSepas1, Hawley C Almstedt2
1Department of Computer Science, Seaver College of Science and Engineering, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
JMIR Human Factors
|July 17, 2026
Summary
A new smartphone app promoting intuitive eating improved college students' diet quality, increasing fruit intake and antioxidants without worsening disordered eating. Higher app usability correlated with more frequent meal logging.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Behavioral Science
- Digital Health
Background:
- Dietary self-monitoring apps are common but may risk disordered eating.
- College students often have poor nutrient intake despite adequate calorie consumption.
- Smartphone apps encouraging intuitive eating may improve diet quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance diet quality in college students using a novel smartphone app.
- The app promotes intuitive eating principles over calorie counting and weight loss.
Main Methods:
- Developed the In2Eat iOS app using SwiftUI and Firebase.
- Assessed 45 college students' intuitive eating, diet quality, and disordered eating pre- and post-intervention.
- Measured app usability via the System Usability Scale (SUS) and engagement metrics.
Main Results:
- Diet quality, fruit consumption, and skin antioxidant levels significantly increased.
- Intuitive eating subscale scores improved, while dietary restraint decreased.
- No significant change in overall disordered eating; app usability correlated with meal logging frequency.
Conclusions:
- An intuitive eating app can improve diet quality without adverse effects on disordered eating.
- Increased meal logging frequency was associated with higher perceived app usability.
- Further research with larger samples and improved usability features is recommended.
