Evaluation of an Electronic Application for Nutritional Information in Food Service Outlets: A Pilot mHealth Application

Technological solutions provided to consumers with the aim of nutritional information, could be a major challenge of interaction among caterers and consumers. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an Electronic Intelligent System of Personalized Dietary Advice (called “DISYS”) for tablets and smart-phones. This application provides nutritional analysis of menu items and personalized suggestions according to the nutritional demands of each customer. The DISYS application was characterized as an easy-to-use, comprehensive and useful tool. Volunteers consider that this application contributes to overall health by enabling the modulation of body weight throughout healthier choices, reduction of calorie intake and self-monitoring. Application of mHealth as such, designed to provide nutritional information, seems to be useful for customers as they recommend appropriate nutritional options. They seem also to be an effective tool for caterers and nutritionists, who can provide value-added services.