Development and Implementation of A Health Buddy App for Comprehensive Nutrition and Activity Tracking
Authors:   Presidency University, bangalore, T, Leela Phanindra 
Published: January 2025

Numerous health monitoring applications that target dietary and lifestyle issues have been developed as a result of the quick developments in mobile technology. The concept, development, and deployment of the "Health Buddy" app—a comprehensive health tracking tool—are presented in this study. Features like calorie and food intake tracking, water reminders, activity tracking, and machine learning-based nutritional insufficiency prediction are all integrated into the app. The Health Buddy app seeks to enhance health outcomes and encourage sustainable behaviours by utilizing publicly accessible statistics and APIs. The app's usability, user involvement, and possible societal influence are all assessed in the study. Sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits have led to an increase in the prevalence of chronic health issues like obesity, diabetes, and nutrient deficiencies. Mobile technology provides an alternative to the labour-intensive and frequently inconvenient traditional methods of health monitoring. The "Health Buddy" app was designed to offer customers a smooth experience by tackling these issues with creative, data-driven features. This program makes it easier for users to manage their health by integrating calorie estimation, food tracking, physical activity tracking, and nutrient shortage detection into a single platform.

Several datasets and APIs were used in the app's development. The software used the Edamam API for real-time nutrient calculations and the Kaggle Nutrition Dataset for food and calorie tracking. The Google Fit API enabled real-time data integration from wearable devices and enabled physical activity and hydration tracking. A classification algorithm that forecasts deficiencies depending on user inputs was created using the World Health Organization's nutrient deficiency dataset. To provide accurate calorie calculations, predictions of vitamin deficiencies, and tailored exercise suggestions, machine learning algorithms were used.

The application's backend architecture was created to effectively handle real-time data and incorporate machine learning algorithms. With features like meal recording, hydration tracking, and actionable recommendation generation, the frontend interface guarantees an easy-to-use experience. Pilot tests, user input, and performance indicators were used to assess the app's capabilities and show how it could improve health outcomes. High user satisfaction was found in the initial testing, and nutritional awareness and activity tracking adherence significantly improved.

By integrating several features into a single platform, the "Health Buddy" software distinguishes itself by providing a comprehensive approach to health monitoring. By giving users information on their food habits, degree of activity, and other health hazards, it enables them to make well-informed decisions regarding their health. In addition to discussing strategies for future improvements, such as integrating artificial intelligence for personalized health advice and expanding language support to serve a global audience, this paper highlights the difficulties faced during development, such as data integration and protecting user privacy.

The "Health Buddy" app raises the bar for health tracking apps by utilizing technology and machine intelligence. It illustrates how mobile platforms can successfully address important public health issues and encourage healthier living. The results of this study highlight how crucial it is to combine technology and medical knowledge to develop effective answers to contemporary health issues

Keywords: Health monitoring, nutrient tracking, calorie prediction, hydration reminders, machine learning.