20th International Congress of Nutrition: Granada, Spain, September 15–20, 2013

Abstract

Background and objectives: There is an increasing prevalence of obesity, and this epidemic raises the budgets of health systems. In Brazil, 50.1% of adults are overweight and 12.4% are obese. A key strategy for the prevention of chronic diseases is to change the eating pattern. The increased interest and access to information technology is an opportunity to promote healthy food choices. This study presents the Digital Food Guide (DFG), in the form of smartphone mobile application and aims to evaluate the app as a resource to promote healthy food choices. Methods: Retrospective cohort study through the analysis of food intake and body weight reported by application users, ages ranging from 19 to 50 years. Results: Among the 442 subjects in the sample, there was a positive shift pattern of 31.45% in diet quality; 60% of users experienced a weight loss. Conclusion: The application allows the reprogramming of food choices with the help of digital language and is an additional resource to disseminate food education with the aim of encouraging the individual to consume food consciously, favoring the prevention of chronic diseases and promoting a healthy diet.