Practical Applications of Image Assisted Mobile Applications to Improve Dietary Habits, Knowledge and Behaviours in Elite Athletes: A Pilot Study

Abstract

To date there has been a paucity of research surrounding optimal ways to educate and to promote behavioural changes within elite athletes. Research shows that optimising athlete nutrition is fundamentally essential to reaching peak performance and maintaining athlete wellbeing. To adequately advise athletes, sport dietitians require a comprehensive view into the dietary intakes and behavioural patterns of the individual. However, traditional methods of dietary assessment are prone to substantial error, have a high participant burden and are resource intensive, especially if squads of athletes reside in different geographical areas. Therefore, new approaches to monitoring dietary intakes and educating athletes should be evaluated. MealLogger® is a smart-phone application that incorporates the use of an imagebased food record and social-media functionality to provide in-application personalised feedback to individuals or groups, peer-support, and a platform to deliver educational material on nutrition. This study measures the feasibility of MealLogger® within New Zealand elite male hockey players (n=17) aged 18-20 as a method of increasing athlete knowledge and nutrition promoting behaviours. During a six-week intervention, participants were instructed to log images of their meals three days per week and received individualised feedback on logged meals. Weekly in-app nutrition education fact-sheets and videos were also delivered through the application. Pre- and post-study questionnaires assessed changes in athletes’ nutritional knowledge. Secondary objectives evaluated participant engagement, usability and acceptance of the mobile application, and participants’ perceived behavioural changes. Results revealed a significant increase in athletes’ nutritional knowledge from baseline (54.7% versus 61.1% correct answers, P=0.01). Participants also reported a highly positive experience of application usage (8/10) with 82.3% attempting to make positive changes in their dietary behaviours based on in-application education, and all participants preferring this method to traditional methods of dietary analysis. Results from this pilot study suggest that using image-based applications, such as MealLogger®, is an effective approach to monitoring dietary intake and delivering education to optimise the nutritional behaviours of elite athletes. Further research should compare the efficacy of image-based applications in monitoring dietary intake and educating athletes, versus traditional approaches.