(P03-08-26) Feasibility and Effectiveness of Using Mobile Phone Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Dietary Assessment and Nudging to Improve Food Choices of Adolescent Girls in Sri Lanka

Objectives: The PlantVillage Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights (FRANI) is a validated artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted smartphone application designed for dietary assessment and nudging adolescents to make healthier food choices. This study examined the feasibility (adherence, acceptability, and usability) of the FRANI app and its potential impact on food choices and diet quality among adolescent girls in Sri Lanka.

Methods: A total of 60 adolescent girls aged 14-18 years from two schools in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka were recruited and randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=30), which received smartphones equipped with gamified FRANI app, or a control group (n=30), which received smartphones with a dietary assessment only-version. After an initial 4-week intervention period, both groups used gamified FRANI for an additional 2-week feasibility period. The primary outcome was the feasibility of employing FRANI, evaluated through adherence (percentage of completed food records), acceptability, and usability (proportion of participants rating FRANI as acceptable and usable based on responses to a Likert-scale questionnaire). Secondary outcomes included the Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) and Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS). Regression models were used to examine the associations between exposure to gamified FRANI and diet quality outcomes.

Results: Overall, adherence to dietary recording throughout the study period was 97%. All participants reported that FRANI was acceptable and usable. MDD-W in the intervention group was 1.08 points (95% CI: 1.01, 1.16; P=0.019; constant=4.72) higher than in the control; Similarly, GDQS in the intervention was 1.06 points (95% CI: 1.01, 1.12; P=0.029; constant=15.38) higher than in the control.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate feasibility and acceptability of AI-assisted, gamified dietary assessment among adolescent girls in Sri Lanka and suggest that the PlantVillage FRANI may be a promising tool for supporting dietary monitoring and promoting healthier food choices in this population.

Funding Sources: This work was supported by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC, USA.