Wearable sensing in eating episode monitoring: an updated systematic review protocol.

Abstract

Objective and accurate dietary monitoring is critical for comprehensive dietary assessment and improving nutritional health outcomes. The rapid advancement of wearable sensing technology presents a promising solution for effective dietary monitoring by reducing recall bias and enhancing user convenience, with potential benefits for both clinical chronic disease management and nutritional research. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of wearable sensors in monitoring dietary behaviours, while also examining the latest advancements in the field since 2020. This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols guidelines for systematic review reporting. We will conduct a comprehensive search across MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, IEEE Xplore and Web of Science to identify studies published between January 2020 and March 2025 involving human participants using wearable sensors for dietary intake monitoring. Studies that focus solely on the development of algorithms or applications for these sensors will be excluded. The outcomes of this review will include evaluations of sensor design, performance metrics and user experience. Findings of this systematic review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conferences and seminar presentations. The data used do not include individual patient data, so no ethical approval is required.