Understanding the perception and requirements of a plant-based nutrition app for cancer patients

Abstract Understanding human perception and requirements on nutrition for cancer prevention and condition management is important so that nutrition applications can be catered for cancer patients. In this paper, web-scraping was conducted to understand the public’s perception, attitude and requirements related to a plant-based diet as a recommended diet for cancer prevention and condition management. Text and sentiment analysis were carried out on results gathered from 73 social sites to determine whether non-cancer and cancer patients use plant-based diets, how they have been consumed, their benefits in the prevention and condition management of cancers, the existing myths/fake news about cancer and what do cancer patients need in a nutrition app. Results of the text analysis highlight missing gaps in existing apps to include a lack of credibility and endorsement by professionals. Future nutrition apps should provide personalized diet, symptoms management, good user experience, credibility, and emotional and mental health support.