Feasibility of Use of a Mobile Application for Nutrition Assessment Pertinent to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (MANAGER2)

Abstract

PurposeThis is a feasibility study assessing use of a mobile phone application (app.) to measure nutrient intake relevant to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).MethodsInclusion criteria were age over 40 and ownership of a smartphone. Participants included healthy volunteers and those with ophthalmic conditions. They were asked to record daily food intake for a minimum of 3 days in a paper food diary and the app. A dietician analyzed the food diaries, and an independent researcher analyzed data from the app. Average daily intake of nutrients relevant to AMD (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA], vitamins E and C, copper, zinc, and lutein + zeaxanthin) were calculated for both and then compared.ResultsA total of 54 participants completed the app. and food diary. Male-to-female ratio was 7:20. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 57 years (45.3–68.7 years). More than 90% of all values were within the limits of agreement for all micronutrients. Bland Altman agreement plots demonstrated clinically acceptable agreement between the two systems of analysis.ConclusionsThis study has demonstrated that the app. is a feasible alternative to the food diary for assessing nutrient intake relevant to AMD. Further studies are suggested to assess long-term adherence and effect of the app. on nutrient intake in AMD patients.Translational RelevanceAfter smoking, nutritional modification is the key modifiable factor to reduce incidence of AMD. Use of the app. could be an efficient, easy way to monitor and improve dietary intake of required nutrients pertinent to AMD.

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Evaluation of a Novel Tool for Screening Inadequate Food Intake in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients

“…Administration of the SDQ-AMD has also highlighted the need for modifications that might help to further improve the tool, such as (i) including a question to account for dairy food consumption to ensure a more comprehensive profile of habitual diets, especially with recent evidence [59,60] suggesting a protective effect of dairy foods on AMD risk; and (ii) converting the paper-based SDQ-AMD to an online format to make it readily accessible and facilitate automatic score calculations for instant feedback. Developing a simple, user-friendly version is essential to improve adherence, as a previous study utilising a mobile food diary application had a high drop-out rate due to high participant burden and design flaws (i.e., not user-friendly or application freezing) [61].…”

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