Virtual Dietitian: A Nutrition Knowledge-Based System Using Forward Chaining Algorithm

2021 International Conference on Innovation and Intelligence for Informatics, Computing, and Technologies (3ICT)
(2021), pp. 309-314
Manuel B. Garcia
a
,
Joel B. Mangaba
b
,
Celeste C. Tanchoco
c
a College of Computer Studies, FEU Institute of Technology, Metro Manila, Philippines
b College of Computer Science, University of Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
c International Life Sciences Institute, Nutrition Foundation of the Philippines, Metro Manila, Philippines
Abstract: The association between nutrition and health has been repeatedly established by the field of nutrition science and evidence-based practices. Nevertheless, inadequate nutrition is still prevalent among Filipino households. As a response to this public health issue, a nutrition system called Virtual Dietitian (VD) was conceived. Through a mixed-methods approach, VD was beta tested via a user study and System Usability Scale (SUS) by six information technology experts and six registered dietitians. Participants performed the standardized tasks with a mean of 85% completion rate and 106.2 seconds, and graded SUS with a mean score of 83.4 (excellent). Albeit the prototype successfully exhibited the potential of VD as a nutrition system, qualitative feedback from experts revealed some modifications that are needed to accomplish before going to the next phase of the study. Healthcare professionals delivered their feedback on the correctness of processes and meal plan generation while the information technology experts pointed out the deficiencies of VD from the technical perspective (e.g., web standards, layout and design, functionality, navigation, usability). With this beta evaluation, an overview of the true experience gained by end users while using VD was determined without the trouble of undergoing the whole project lifecycle. Feedback from experts, which will be used in the next phase, were beneficial to ensure that the final version of VD will be correct, useful, and valid.