Communications of the ACM
Wpi and conn Researchers Create an App to Predict and Intervene in sers' Overeating
A new smartphone app was designed by researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Cnnecticut to help discourage overeating.
Credit: Memegenerator.net
Researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the University of Connecticut (UConn) are developing SlipBuddy, a smartphone application designed to help users manage their overeating habits by tracking eating patterns, providing interventions, and helping change behavior.
The researchers found positive results after testing the app on 16 participants, all older than 18, overweight, and not necessarily trying to lose weight. Following a month-long pilot, the researchers found nine of the participants lost an average of five pounds, three participants weighed the same, and four participants gained an average of two pounds.
The team says SlipBuddy can track stress and eating, and serves as a personalized intervention system built via the integration of behavioral strategies and technologies such as mobile devices, machine learning, and text mining.
"Mobile technology, which is ubiquitous today, has the capacity to deliver evidence-based weight loss interventions with lower cost and user burden than traditional intervention models," says WPI professor Carolina Ruiz.
From Worcester Polytechnic Institute
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