A Context-specific and customizable nutritional information delivery application for type II diabetic patients

Abstract

Diabetic Type II patients require specific nutritional information. This information is a necessary part of their self-management process. This process includes lifestyle factors such as dietary modification. Type II diabetic patients take up a large population of the total number of the diabetes patients in the country. The ratio of these patients to the health workers available would leave them overwhelmed. The information given is often scarce or poor. It is also generalised, assumed to fit all patients. This study aimed at developing a nutritional information delivery application that is context-specific and customizable. The application collects the specific contextual needs that impact the patients, processes it efficiently and delivers the nutritional information needed to its users, the nutritionist. It applies a rule-based representation technique to deliver the nutritional information. The study utilized the Kenya Food Composition Table that provides locally available food with caloric nutrients, and reports containing nutrition protocol to come up with the rules. These rules in combination with context factors outputs much more relevant nutritional information easily accessible to its users.

Keywords: context, customised, nutrition information, rule-based representation model, type II diabetes