(P26-011-23) Spanish Mobile User-Testing of NCI’s Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24)

Objectives: NCI’s Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24) is free for researchers, clinicians, and educators to assess diets among diverse populations without being interviewer-administered. The tool was translated to Spanish in 2011 and enabled for mobile devices in 2016. This study is the first to user-test the Spanish version and the mobile interface for future improvements.

Methods: We developed a screener to recruit participants speaking various Spanish dialects (i.e., 5 Mexican; 2 South American; 1 Central American; 1 Cuban) via Userlytics. We designed a scripted test scenario to prompt participants through an unmoderated meal recall. Participants shared recordings of their experience and were instructed to “think out-loud” and give feedback verbally and on a post-experience survey. Recording transcripts were analyzed for Spanish language and mobile-specific user experience results.

Results: Participants included 6 females and 3 males in the 18-49 age group with a high school or college education using iPhones (n=5) or Androids (n=4). The Spanish language was generally clear and understandable; however, participants reported challenges when searching terms with accent marks and that a few translations could be improved (e.g., snacks as refrigerio; tap water as grifo). As observed previously, participants struggled with the stepwise flow (i.e., report a meal or snack, find foods & drinks, then add ingredient and quantity details). Some participants expected search results to be listed alphabetically rather than the current best match and popularity order. Some features were challenging on the mobile interface (e.g., quantity selection slider; typing mealtimes) and we identified an iPhone-specific issue (i.e.., non-standard screen resolution).

Conclusions: Overall, participants were able to report a meal, and a majority rated it as “very easy.” Future updates will improve specific translations and mobile interface features. Although the stepwise flow was confusing for some, this process will be maintained because it uses the Automated Multiple Pass Method (AMPM), the reference method for self-reported dietary assessment established by the USDA. However, additional approaches to facilitate self-guidance through ASA24 will be explored.

Funding Sources: N/A