Teens may filter out nutrition messages coming from parents or other adult authority figures. But that doesn’t mean he’s not interested in improving his diet. Instead of trying to play nutrition cop, experts suggest allowing teens to make healthful changes using applications on his smartphone.
Teens are one of the fastest growing user groups of mobile technologies, according to a recent study on smartphone technology and apps for health promotion from New Mexico State University.
However, parents should still get involved in the selection process to make sure teens are getting appropriate guidance from credible sources, says Kristi King a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Know what’s available, what information is provided and how teens can use the app.
An appropriate program can go a long way to help a teen follow a healthful diet, according to King, senior dietitian at the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
Parents will want to make sure the app is providing sound nutrition advice, says King. Parents also will want the app to be targeted to the teen audience.
“Kids and teens do better with a visual,” says King, who uses apps with some of her patients.
She also recommends food logs, charts and graphs.These help a teen keep track of what he’s consuming, such as a graph or chart that follows his vegetable intake or calories from soft drinks.
Accountability and goal setting are valuable tools as well.
“Look for an app that allows you to set goals and timelines.You want your teen to take ownership of his health,” King says.
At the same time parents can talk to teens about setting healthy nutrition goals, she adds.
Some apps offer access to an online community where a teen can chat with other subscribers.
Cross that app off the list if you don’t want your teen to be involved with an online nutrition community.
“You may not want a child participating in this,” King says.
Once parents and teens have agreed upon an app choice, don’t be surprised if a teenager doesn’t provide frequent feedback. Having a little privacy is part of the lure of an app. But “In my own personal experience with patients, teens love it, ” King says. Apps are particularly helpful when making food selections at fast food establishments and vending machines.
When a teen is next in line to place her order at a fast food restaurant she may wonder whether to splurge on 200 extra calories.An app can help her decide whether to “have fries with that.”
The Eat-and-Move-O-Matic app can show teens calorie counts in their favorite foods, varying by size, and lets them know how much physical activity they need to burn off those calories.
The app, which went through 15 to 20 iterations of design before being brought to market, was developed at New Mexico State University with 4-H to support a national youth program.
“You can use the app before you make the food choice, or you can make the choice and decide how to work it off,” says Barbara Chamberlin, a New Mexico State University extension instructional design and education media specialist in Las Cruces, N.M.
A nutrition specialist identified the foods users can refer to, but there are limitations.
These are items your teen is probably eating, not necessarily what health experts recommend, according to Chamberlin.
For more information on the free app, visit the 4-H website at: http://bit.ly/1lyYIII
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