Development and Evaluation of an Online Gluten Free Meal Planning Tool
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Sedberry, Jenna. Development and Evaluation of an Online Gluten Free Meal Planning Tool. 2016. https://doi.org/10.17615/phsr-d891APA
Sedberry, J. (2016). Development and Evaluation of an Online Gluten Free Meal Planning Tool. https://doi.org/10.17615/phsr-d891Chicago
Sedberry, Jenna. 2016. Development and Evaluation of an Online Gluten Free Meal Planning Tool. https://doi.org/10.17615/phsr-d891- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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Sedberry, Jenna
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Nutrition
- Abstract
- Background: Consumers who have to avoid gluten due to celiac disease (CD) need very specific and detailed guidance. Most affected individuals (about 1% of all Americans) do not have access to extensive professional guidance, by a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN) or other health care provider with credible nutrition training, who could give them the level of needed support. They have to contend instead with general instructions from their physician, hand-outs from their provider’s office staff, and with information they find on their own. The problem is further aggravated because avoidance of gluten often leads to otherwise imbalanced and nutritionally inadequate intake patterns. The aim of this research is to develop an online dietary guidance tool that helps people to comply with a gluten-free diet. The application will help individuals with CD and their health care providers to support gluten-free dietary patterns with desirable culinary and nutritional characteristics. Methods: A preexisting online meal planning tool was adapted to support the selection of gluten-free meal plans. The nutrition information from all products labeled as gluten-free available at several regional grocery chains was collected. The items in the USDA National Nutrient Database (NDB) were classified as either reliably gluten-free or potentially gluten containing. Nutrient information of popular gluten-free items was collated using NDB values. All of these items were incorporated into the database for the online application. Usability of the tool for people with CD was evaluated with six different personas, each at two different energy intake levels. These personas differed in age and gender in order to represent the range of life stages during which the tool would be used. Meal plans were generated for each of the six personas in order to determine whether the program works as intended. Results: The online application was able to generate numerous individualized gluten-free menus. Multiple alternative meal plans were available for all test personas at two different energy intake levels. Meals could be modified with ease with several offered alternatives. Lag times for moving from one meal plan to the next and for getting lists of alternative items were so short that they were not perceptible. Acceptance of this resource by gluten-sensitive individuals will be the ultimate measure of its value. Conclusion: The Online Low Gluten Assistance tool (OLGA) successfully functions in generating gluten-free meal plans for users of various types. The program has a number of preconfigured meal plans, but ultimately through crowd-sourcing the output of the program will increase with use and provide a greater number and variety of meal combinations. Moving forward, usability in practice should be assessed through a trial in which people with CD or gluten-intolerance use OLGA for creating meal plans.
- Date of publication
- spring 2016
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Funding: None
- Advisor
- Kohlmeier, Martin
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science in Public Health
- Honors level
- Highest Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Extent
- 28
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