Background/objective: Tools to accurately and efficiently measure the dietary intake of Nigeria are lacking. We aimed to develop and assess the usability of a new online dietary assessment tool for Nigeria, myfood24 West Africa. Methods: We developed myfood24 West Africa database using data from existing food composition tables, back-of-pack labels of packaged foods and research articles. A 7-step approach was used: identified data sources, selected foods, processed/cleaned data, calculated nutrient content of recipes, created/allocated portion sizes, quality-checked database, and developed food accompaniments. To pilot myfood24 West Africa, we recruited 179 university staff living in Nigeria using a cross-sectional design; usability was assessed using a questionnaire that incorporated the System Usability Scale (SUS) and feedback session. Results: The database included 924 foods with up to 54 nutrients and 35 portion-size images allocated to foods. 60% of the data were sourced from the 2019 West Africa Food Composition Table, 17% from back-of-pack labels, 14% from the 2017 Nigeria Food Composition Table, 5% from generated recipes and 4% items from published literature. 30% (n=53) self-recorded their diet on their own and 1345 entries were made. The mean SUS score of 74 (95% CI: 68,79) indicated good usability. The feedback showed the tool was easy to use, educative, and included a variety of locally foods consumed. Conclusion: This new tool will enhance the dietary assessment of the Nigerian population. More work will cover more foods from other regions of Nigeria and West African countries.
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Uzokwe et al. (2024) studied this question.
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