DiTrack – Development and evaluation of a diet tracking app using voice-to-text and imaging for nutritional monitoring in older individuals

Accurate dietary monitoring is essential for older adults, particularly those recovering from hospitalization. Proper nutrition is crucial for recovery from conditions such as cardiovascular events, yet traditional dietary assessment methods, including food frequency diaries and recall questionnaires, rely on self-reporting, which is often inaccurate and time-consuming Digital tools have improved accessibility but still present usability challenges, particularly for older adults. If these concerns could be addressed or reasonably mitigated, healthcare professionals felt that being able to access this data through electronic medical records would be a much more effective way to view a patient’s dietary profile. Drs David Armstrong and Qiyin Fang have developed DiTrack, a smartphone-based dietary monitoring application that simplifies meal logging through image capture and voice annotation. While DiTrack has been tested among younger adults, its usability among older adults remains unstudied. This project will promote autonomy among seniors by providing them with greater control over their dietary monitoring, ensuring they can independently track their nutritional intake without relying heavily on caregivers.