DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM (DSS) FOR ADULT WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Aadilah,B.*, Khairuddin, I. and Hazizi,A.S.

Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya,

50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

*Corresponding author: aadilah@siswa.um.edu.my

The research is to develop a decision support tool that can calculate energy input and

energy expenditure requirements verses actual daily caloric needs among adults in

Malaysia. The focus will be on adults aged between 18 to 59 years old, which is the

age range considered as a stable growth level. Typically, on a daily basis, a man

needs 2500 kcal while a woman needs 500kcal.

Objectives of the research:

1. Digitization of the expert viewpoint

2. A tool that assist user to keep track of food consumption and energy expenditure

3. A comprehensive Malaysian food database

To achieve all this functionality in one system, this DSS is developed through four

major steps :

1)Knowledge acquisition, where the expert in nutrition will be interviewed to identify

the concept and meaning (expert requirements) within a decision-making situation,

and suggest the solution for any constraints. The concept referred to here will be

based on the energy balance principle

2)Knowledge organization, where the data from the Nutrient Composition of

Malaysian Foods book, Mets table and expert viewpoint are digitized and organized. A

Database of Malaysian Foods will be developed using File Maker Pro 10, an

advanced database software tool with and in-built source code editor

3)Knowledge modelling will go through the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

4)Evaluation of the system’s performance will allow a few of the target users to get a

hands-on feel of the DSS, after which they shall be implored to give feedback by way

of an evaluation form. This feedback will go a long way towards helping the

improvement of the DSS, to the end that a precise determination of energy intake

(through food consumed), along with energy expenditure (through physical activity),

can be achieved.

UM Grants – IPPP for funding; Assoc Prof Khairuddin Hj Itam, Dr Hazizi & Miss Afifah

for technical assistance.

Major expected outcomes of the DSS as stated below:

1. A new tool to calculate the energy balance with the recommendation for best

health practice.

2. A new localizes information system for body weight management.

3. Optimize the nutrition management task.

4. An improvement to the current Malaysian Food Database.

Weight management systems are available in the marketplace but are focussed on

western diet regimes. In the context of a Malaysian diet expert expectation, the

distinctive food database and physical activity measurements in these systems are

not optimised to the local community and with a different target group of people.

There is a need for a localised Decisions Support System to assist experts such as

nutritionists and dieticians to help Malaysian adults in their weight management

programmes. To start with, major issues discovered from the current related system

are identified as stated below in the problem statements summary table [Table 1].:

1. Tee ES, Yeoh CW & Mastura AS (1998). NutriCal: your solution to nutrient calculations. IMR

Quart Bull 44: 23.

2. Tony Ng KW .DietPLUS- a User-friendly ‘2 in 1’ Food Composition Database and Calculator

of Nutrient Intakes. Mal J Nutr 16(1): 125 - 130, 2010.

3. Ismail et al. (1998),

4. FAO/WHO/UNU (1985)

5. Henry & Rees (1991)

No Current System Proposed System

1 Local system: the Malaysian Food Database in the NutriWEB Malaysia webpage (belongs to Malaysia Nutrition Society) only reflect the nutrient composition for food keyed-in by user but does not calculate the nutrient intakes.

It will provide nutrient composition food list that can be searched easily or keyed-in by user, together with different unit measurement per portion. It also calculates the nutrient intakes for individual and compared with RNI and Malaysia DG.

2 Most of the system in Malaysia provide BMI calculator and calories burner separately or only either one. Physical activities in calories burner are not listed with different strength measurement.

Nutrient intakes and physical activities calculator are built-in together. It also has specific intensity for particular physical activities.

3 Does not provide energy balance calculator system caused students and nutritionist have to calculate manually in Microsoft excel thus there is tendency for arithmetic error. Improper links between physical activity calculation and nutrient intakes calculation (based on Malaysia Dietary Guidelines and RNI) to support energy balance calculations.

Development of energy balance system as a component of body weight management in which consist of two main components of nutrient intakes and physical activity calculations. It will be work as decision support tool.

4 Local software such as Nutrical which was based almost entirely on the Malaysian Food Composition Database Programme(MFCDP)[1] only calculates individual calorie requirements including calories contained in said foods and will help to balance the menus. Updated food list can be easily added and downloaded As well DietPLUS tool that function as teaching and research tool that only calculate for nutrient intakes[2].

This system will calculate on nutrients and calorie intakes as well as energy expenditure calculations.

5 International system: Different food database and physical activity measurements are used in their system based on local community with different target group of people; thus may not suitable to be used in Malaysia

Will be based on Malaysia Foods with Malaysian adults as the target group.

Table 1:Comparison current Weight Management System and proposed system

Due to the increasing of weight problem among adults and a need for comprehensive

information on the actual dietary intake, the weight management DSS been proposed

here to leads to better solved data analysis and decision -making to

experts(nutritionist and dietitian) that encompass of recommended dietary allowance

and physical activity recommendations. Hence, no doubt that each and every

Malaysians should maintain an optimum and healthy body weight range throughout

life.

Besides, the calculation formula of the energy expenditure in this system will be based

on the BMR Predictive Equations for adult Malaysians [3] which will determine the

energy expenditure of the individual [Table 2].

Table 2: BMR predictive equations for adult Malaysians

Age group n Formula r SE Mean %Difference

Male 18-30 30-60

84 223

0.0550(W) + 2.480 0.0432(W) + 3.112

0.644 0.501

0.0363 0.0189

13% WHO[4] 6% HR[5] 13% WHO 4% HR

Female 18-30 30-60

131 218

0.0535(W) + 1.994 0.0539(W) + 2.147

0.511 0.519

0.0263 0.0200

9% WHO 6% HR 9% WHO 2% HR

BMR is expressed in MJ/day, W= body weight in kg.

Meanwhile, the sources of energy is carbohydrates , fat and protein with physiological

fuel values of 4, 9, 4 kcal/g (16.7kJ, 37.7kJ, 16.7kJ/g), respectively.The total energy

for the caloric intake is calculated by applying these factors to the amount of

estimated

from Malaysian food composition tables. Ethanol has a caloric value of 7kcal/g

(29.3kJ/g)[4].

Finally, the calculation result will be compare with Malaysian Dietary Guidelines and

Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI).

Below is one of the main user interface in the system.

[Figure 1].

Figure 1:Weight Management module interface in proposed DSS