My Kana is a mobile app with the aim to promote healthy eating habits. It is designed and developed in Fiji. The app is targetted towards the people of Fiji, but other people from other South Pacific countries may also find it helpful.
Using My Kana, users get nutritional information on the foods they consume and whether their meals are balanced or not. Unlike other healthy eating apps which focus on counting calories, My Kana places emphasis on the concept of the Healthy Plate. What users eat is compared against the healthy plate so that they can see how healthy their meals are.
Home Gardening is another major component of the My Kana app, and hopes to encourage people to grow their own food.
My Kana app is currently available for Android device users from Google Play store. The app is currently available to users from Fiji and some South Pacific countries.
Key features
Home Gardening
Grow your own food with step by step guides on how to grow various crops. There are also guides and steps on how to start container gardening and practise organic farming methods.
Inbuilt local food database
Comprehensive list of foods available in Fiji, including local Fiji foods and imported foods.
Healthy Plate Concept
Visual representation of the three food groups eaten compared to the recommended portions.
Instead of focusing on counting calories, My Kana focuses on the Healthy Plate concept. A visual representation of what you eat is compared against the recommended healthy plate. This allows you to identify whether your meals are balanced and what dietary changes are required.
Hand measure estimation technique
Hand measure estimation technique allows users to estimate food portions using their fist, palm and thumb. These serve as alternatives to standard household measures of weighing food. Currently the hand measure estimation technique is available for certain food items. This technique will be added to other food items in future versions of the My Kana app.
Offline access
Once installed, you can use the app without the need for internet access. All features and functions of the app are available for use without needing an Internet connection. This allows the app to be used in all areas of Fiji, even in the remote islands.
Free access and use
My Kana is available for download from Google Play store. All features of the app are available for use at no charge.
My Kana is the result of the collaborative work between The University of the South Pacific (USP) and National Food and Nutrition Centre (NFNC), Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Fiji, a project funded under USP's Strategic Research Theme (SRT) grant. The app development was conducted by the USP Team guided by expert nutritional advice from the NFNC Team.
Development of the Home Gardening component was funded by Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA).
My Kana is currently only available for download from Google Play Store within Fiji and some South Pacific countries on Android powered devices. Access to other countries will be enabled in the future. An iOS version is currently in development.
Disclaimer
My Kana app is designed to promote and help a user develop healthy eating habits. The nutritional information and dietary recommendations provided are merely suggestions which may or may not improve a user's eating habits and overall health. This app is a self-regulatory tool. It is not intended to replace or substitute professional medical advice. Please always consult a dietician or medical professional for professional medical advice regarding your health.
User Data and Privacy
All data collected while using the My Kana app is recorded solely on the user's device. No user data is transmitted to or collected on any external system.
The following data are recorded when using the app: user's name, date of birth, weight, height, hand measurements, waist size, water intake, food intake, crops planted and user garden notes.
Currently, My Kana works completely offline, without accessing the Internet at any point. When a user uninstalls the My Kana app from their device, all user data for the app is also deleted and cannot be recovered.
Future versions of the My Kana app may record user data on central system to allow features such as user data backup and recovery.
