Digital dietician might assist individuals make higher decisions

A brand new program that makes use of immersive digital actuality to fill the function of a digital dietitian might finally be capable of enhance the vitamin care course of, in response to a brand new evaluation.

This system—the Immersive Digital Alimentation and Diet Utility (IVAN) utility—was developed at Penn State and makes use of digital actuality headsets to assist make the person really feel like they’re chatting with an actual nutritionist in an workplace setting. This system walks the person by means of interactive actions designed to show them about vitamin ideas like portion measurement and calorie density.

A workforce of seven consultants, together with registered dietitians and schooling specialists, evaluated the IVAN program throughout 14 totally different domains, together with navigation, vitamin schooling content material, and relevance of the academic content material.

“This system scored extremely throughout all 14 domains,” mentioned Travis Masterson, assistant professor of dietary sciences and director of the Well being, Ingestive Habits, and Expertise lab at Penn State, “which suggests it was obtained positively total and the consultants felt it could be helpful to customers.”

The domains through which this system scored finest have been 1) trustworthy viewpoints, that means it appeared to replicate an actual surroundings; 2) the relevance of academic content material, that means that the academic materials was helpful; and three) shut coordination of motion and illustration, that means that the interactions with the meals felt life like.

The evaluation was not too long ago revealed within the Journal of Diet Schooling and Habits.

In response to the researchers, the flexibility to make good decisions about vitamin is a vital ability to have, however high-quality science-backed data is difficult to return by within the in style media.

“Registered dietitians are skilled to assist people enhance their diets and are in a position to meet and work with individuals to enhance their each day habits in a really individualized and private approach,” Masterson mentioned. “However they usually find yourself spending a big portion of their visits instructing primary vitamin ideas, which isn’t at all times an efficient use of their time or abilities.”

Masterson mentioned that sooner or later, this system might be able to save clinics each money and time whereas releasing up the time of their registered dieticians to spend extra time offering individualized suggestions and focused purpose setting. Moreover, it offers customers a enjoyable and fascinating expertise that may enhance their data.

“This system offers customers a practical expertise that’s probably to enhance their abilities extra than simply watching a slideshow presentation or studying a pamphlet,” Masterson mentioned. “Along with scientific settings, we additionally hope to have the ability to distribute the IVAN program broadly sooner or later to be used in faculties and even at residence.”