The Main Features of Food Consumption Mobile Apps in Saudi Arabia: A Scoping Review

Duaa Alammari^{1, 2}, Mayasem Alruhimi¹, Sarah Alkhunein^3, and Aljawharah Alabdulkarim⁴

¹College of Public Health and Health Informatics (CPPHI), King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

²King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

³National Nutrition Committee (NNC), Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

⁴Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Cite this paper:
Duaa Alammari, Mayasem Alruhimi, Sarah Alkhunein and Aljawharah Alabdulkarim. The Main Features of Food Consumption Mobile Apps in Saudi Arabia: A Scoping Review. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2024; 12(9):382-389. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-12-9-1

Abstract

Introduction: Food consumption apps are supportive digital tools designed to facilitate weight management and following healthier eating habits. There is a wide variety of food consumption apps available; however, there are limited literature that determine the main features of these apps in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the scope of prominent food consumption mobile apps across two commercial apps stores (Apple iOS and Google Play) and determine the main features of apps systematically. Methods: This scoping review was conducted across the Apple iOS and Google Play stores in three steps: (1) electronic app search; (2) extract data; (3) analysis of apps’ characteristics and features. Results: A total of 99 apps were included, of which 41 (41%) were from the iOS store, and 58 (59%) were from the Google Play store. Approximately 52% of apps were rated “4.5 or less”, and 48% of apps were rated “4.6 and above”. Most apps offered more than one language, of which 81% provided 1 to 6 languages, and only 10.1% of apps offered 7 to 12 languages. We identified a total of 23 features, 29% of apps had 13 to 18 features, 27% of apps had 7 to 12 features, 23% of apps had 19+ features, and 18.2% of apps had 1 to 6 features. Conclusions: The findings of this review indicate that, while a wide range of food consumption apps are available, most apps offer limited features. Therefore, there is a need for introducing some unique features such as entering food by picture or barcode scanning, food composition tables, and tracking of micro-nutrients to attract more users. In addition, the number of features had a positive association with apps rating. Notably, high ratings may increase the app's visibility, therefore this should be considered by app developers to add desirable features in the future.

Keywords:
Apps weight weight management weight loss nutrition diet dietary body weight calorie counter lose weight food consumption

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