MyCarb Counting™ Widget for Internet and Mobile Devices

Introduction

The Alliance of People with disAbilities would like funding to research the feasibility of creating a
Carbohydrate Counting / Tracking tool, we’d like to call it: the MyCarb ™ Counter. Today there are 23.6
million children and adults in the United States—7.8% of the population who have diabetes in this country.
Virtually all of these people could use an electronic device to count and track information about the foods
they are choosing to consume. It would also assist diabetics to make choices in food that will work with
how their individual bodies metabolize carbohydrate.

This device which can be installed on a variety of devices, most generally a cell phone or a notebook
device like a Netbook, Kindle, or Nintendo DS. The type of device that it would generally be installed on is
a cell phone. Users can install on their own, 75 percent of adults in the US consider themselves consider
themselves computer literate, persons such as this would be considered the typical user.

What is a Widget

Widgets often take the form of on-screen tools (clocks, event countdowns, auction-tickers, stock market
tickers, flight arrival information, daily weather etc). Widgets are fun, engaging, and useful applications
that allow users to turn personal content which matters to that person. Widgets may be looked upon as
downloadable applications which look and act like traditional apps but are implemented using web
technologies including JavaScript, Flash, HTML and CSS. Widgets use and depend on web APIs
exposed either by the browser or by a widget engine such as Akami, Clearspring, KickApps,
MassPublisher, NewsGator, Plusmo, Widgetbox, Widsets, WebWag and many others.

For example, a "Weather Report Widget" could report today's weather by accessing data from the
Weather Channel, it can even be sponsored by a particular organization. Should you want to put the
widget on your own social media profile, you could do this by copying and pasting the embedded code.
Why is it Needed--Social

In the late 1990’s physicians and health care workers begin realizing the importance of carbohydrate
counting for regulating blood glucose levels for individuals with diabetes. Especially important is the
carbohydrate intake when using insulin. For the majority of diabetics, 10 carbohydrates require one unit
of short acting insulin. Using the carbohydrate counting method prevents having high blood glucose
readings and insulin reactions resulting from caloric intake.

Currently, there are no programs available for diabetics to quickly find out how many carbohydrates are
in something they are going to eat.  This device would allow them to turn on their phone and get the
answer.  The program will gather information from fast food labels, chain restaurants and food
packaging.

Under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990 all foods that are sold in the United States
display nutritional labeling so that consumers can have enough information to figure out what the
carbohydrate content of their food is. If the consumer could, then create menu plans and be able to
customize their information in a “counter” device, then it would be easier for them to plan their lifestyle
and menu strategy accordingly. Generally it would enable diabetics to be more compliant with treatment
plans because they would have a mobile tool to use.

Why is it Needed--Technical

Currently there are no mobile electronic utilities available for the ready acquisition and tracking of data
related to carbohydrate counting everyday foods. There is one application for the personal computer
which tracks fast foods only, and is not available on mobile devices. Alliance of People with disAbilities
seek to research the feasibility and production time of making such a tool for everyday use, traveling with
the user wherever they go. We believe that this tool can be accomplished through the development of
code into a utility or widget, rather than a more expensive medical device. This would become part of a
social movement that is wide spread, note the applications available on the Apple Computer’s iphone and
the Google Android platform.

How will it be Developed

We will abstract the information from chain restaurants, fast food restaurants, food and beverage labeling,
and recipes with carbohydrate counts.

Alliance of People with disAbilities intends to make this into a quality tool for users with diabetes. We plan
to make an initial survey of diabetes cell phone users to determine what they would like to have available
in a mobile tool. We would survey at least 100 people, with at least half of the respondents being persons
of diversity. From the survey, we will identify a core user group to have focus groups, to determine the
final series of features in the device. Then Alliance will make a series of storyboards building the
application on paper. During the storyboard stage, we will seek to employ individuals with disabilities to
draw the interface. Then Alliance will go back to the focus group for feedback. After this point the
application would go into development and quality testing. We intent to get the idea to this stage, but will
have to supplement this funding to do so. Deployment of the widget would occur in late 2011.

Alliance will ensure that the widget is compatible with Phone Speech so that diabetics who have low
vision or are blind can utilize the tool.
PAPER FORMAT

1.    Create your document(s), and add the DiabetesMine™ Design Challenge title page (downloadable
here) to appear in the header.

2.    Give your documents short, recognizable titles (ideally the product name), to make it easy for readers
and judges to keep track.

3.    Go to this site: http://www.scribd.com/group/84524-2010-diabetesmine-design-challenge , and click

on “upload a document” to get started.

4.    Follow the step-by-step instructions for uploading one or more documents.

Next, fill out the ENTRY FORM below.  Entries must be made prior to Friday, April 30th, 2010, at 11:59 pm
Pacific time.

* Note that by submitting an entry for the DiabetesMine™ Design Challenge, submitters agree to the
Contest Rules and Legal Considerations listed here.
Here are a few fax and internet sites for the carb counting idea:

1. Only the carbcount.org is available. The carbcount.com and .net are taken.

2. There is no federal legislation that restaurants must provide this information.

1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) is passed.  It requires all packaged foods to bear
nutrition labeling and all health claims for foods to be consistent with terms defined by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services. As a concession to food manufacturers, the FDA authorizes some health
claims for foods. The food ingredient panel, serving sizes, and terms such as “low fat” and “light” are
standardized. This is pretty much the nutrition label as we know it today.

1991 Nutrition facts, basic per-serving nutritional information, are required on foods under the Nutrition
Labeling and Education Act of 1990. Food labels are to list the most important nutrients in an easy-to-
follow format.

 There is state legislation in a lot of places.

3.

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/carb-counting/

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/carb_counting.php

http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/information//food_and_nutrition/diet_and_carb_counting.html

While searching I saw a carbohydrate counting app for the IPhone that reports on the carbohydrate
contents for foods from fast food restaurants. I understand that the IPhone has a free included screen
reader.