The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review

Battaglia, Brigitte; Lee, Lydia; Jia, Si Si; Partridge, Stephanie Ruth; Allman-Farinelli, Margaret

doi:10.3390/healthcare10071329

Open AccessReview

The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review

by

Brigitte Battaglia

^1,†,

Lydia Lee

^1,†,

Si Si Jia

^2,*

,

Stephanie Ruth Partridge

^2,3

and

Margaret Allman-Farinelli

¹

Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney Nursing School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

²

Engagement and Co-Design Research Hub, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

³

Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Healthcare 2022, 10(7), 1329; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071329

Submission received: 21 June 2022 / Revised: 13 July 2022 / Accepted: 13 July 2022 / Published: 18 July 2022

(This article belongs to the Section Nutrition and Public Health)

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Abstract

Mobile-based ecological momentary assessment (mEMA) offers a novel method for dietary assessment and may reduce recall bias and participant burden. This review evaluated mEMA methodology and the feasibility, acceptability and validity as a dietary assessment method in young people. Five databases were searched from January 2008 to September 2021 for studies including healthy young people aged 16–30 years and used mEMA for obtaining dietary intake data, food consumption behaviours and/or contextual factors. Data on the method used to administer mEMA, compliance with recording and validation were extracted. A total of 46 articles from 39 independent studies were included, demonstrating a wide variation in mEMA methods. Signal-contingent prompting (timed notification to record throughout the day) was used in 26 studies, 9 used event-contingent (food consumption triggered recordings), while 4 used both. Monitoring periods varied and most studies reported a compliance rate of 80% or more. Two studies found mEMA to be burdensome and six reported mEMA as easy to use. Most studies (31/39) reported using previously validated questions. mEMA appears to be a feasible and acceptable methodology to assess dietary intake and food consumption in near real time.

Keywords: m-health; mEMA; mobile ecological momentary assessment; dietary assessment method; young people; food consumption behaviour; eating behaviour

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MDPI and ACS Style

Battaglia, B.; Lee, L.; Jia, S.S.; Partridge, S.R.; Allman-Farinelli, M. The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review. Healthcare 2022, 10, 1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071329

AMA Style

Battaglia B, Lee L, Jia SS, Partridge SR, Allman-Farinelli M. The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review. Healthcare. 2022; 10(7):1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071329

Chicago/Turabian Style

Battaglia, Brigitte, Lydia Lee, Si Si Jia, Stephanie Ruth Partridge, and Margaret Allman-Farinelli. 2022. "The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review" Healthcare 10, no. 7: 1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071329

APA Style

Battaglia, B., Lee, L., Jia, S. S., Partridge, S. R., & Allman-Farinelli, M. (2022). The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review. Healthcare, 10(7), 1329. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10071329

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The Use of Mobile-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment (mEMA) Methodology to Assess Dietary Intake, Food Consumption Behaviours and Context in Young People: A Systematic Review

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