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Wello: Healthy habits for kids app

An app to create an eating and activity plan for children which caregivers can monitor.

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Wello: Healthy habits for kids app	By Art Dynasty
	Features Tracking activity through google fit. Tracking energy, macronutrients, sodium, fibre, sugar, saturated fat, cholesterol and water consumption based on recipe database. Graphs and reporting. Online education on basic nutrition topics.
Country of origin	Romania
Clinical review	Read a clinical review, including safety concerns, below.
Security and privacy	Does the app: Collect medical information? Yes (Weight, height, date of birth, etc) Require a login? Yes – email Have password protection? Password required for initial sign up but not when reopening app Have a privacy policy? Yes Require internet access to use? Yes Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: Tips to improve your privacy and security [PDF, 65 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ
Cost	Free
Advertisements	This app contains no ads.
How to get the app	(external link) (external link)

Wello is an app which supports parents and caregivers to plan, monitor and assess their child eating and activity patterns. The primary aim of the app is to create an eating and activity plan for children which caregivers can monitor. The plan is based of a brief assessment of weight, height, gender, age and food preferences. It includes meals and recipes. Daily, weekly, monthly and annual reports on progress are available. Additional features include online learning on weight management and child nutrition topics for caregivers, ability to add multiple children, track activity and goals as a family. You can track the time, date, meal the child ate for the limited recipe database but not the amount eaten or any additional foods outside of the recipe database.

For the complete app description, go to the Google Play(external link), App Store(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

PROS	CONS
✔ Ability to choose between metrics and imperial. ✔ Ability to track multiple family members. ✔ Recipes provided with meal plan. ✔ Provides visual road map of goals to achieve, connected to education on topics. ✔ Ability to flag dishes which are liked. ✔ Ability to filter dishes by category, cooking time or ingredients used. ✔ Links with Google Fit.	✘ Abrupt and brief assessment findings based on a 10-year prediction with inappropriate imagery of crying overweight children. ✘ No gender-neutral options. ✘ One parents weight and height details required. ✘ Child must have a phone or tablet to record activity through google fit. ✘ Recipe recommendations not tailored to New Zealand food supply and could be costly to follow. ✘ Limited meals to select from for food monitoring entry. Data of food intake would only be accurate if you followed the selected meals and recipes.

PROS

CONS

✔ Ability to choose between metrics and imperial.

✔ Ability to track multiple family members.

✔ Recipes provided with meal plan.

✔ Provides visual road map of goals to achieve, connected to education on topics.

✔ Ability to flag dishes which are liked.

✔ Ability to filter dishes by category, cooking time or ingredients used.

✔ Links with Google Fit.

✘ Abrupt and brief assessment findings based on a 10-year prediction with inappropriate imagery of crying overweight children.

✘ No gender-neutral options.

✘ One parents weight and height details required.

✘ Child must have a phone or tablet to record activity through google fit.

✘ Recipe recommendations not tailored to New Zealand food supply and could be costly to follow.

✘ Limited meals to select from for food monitoring entry. Data of food intake would only be accurate if you followed the selected meals and recipes.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Frances Arenhold, Registered Dietitian
Date of review: February 2023
Platform: Android
Version: 1.0.9
Comments: This app should be used with caution as it has potential to cause harm. Although it has a nice look and is intuitive, the assessment is based on limited data and the meal plan solutions are limited for New Zealand users. The tone of the assessment report is abrupt and has the potential to cause unhelpful concern or distress to users.
Safety concerns: The app provides advice based on limited insight into a child’s lifestyle. The tone of the messaging in the app could be detrimental to the child and caregiver on their weight management journey.
Users should consult a dietitian or other health professional if they have concerns about their child’s lifestyle.
New Zealand relevance: No, the app has some abrupt content which is not consistent with the mana-enhancing approach most suitable for caregivers and children with lifestyle challenges.
Concerns: The app has the potential to provide advice based on limited assessment which could misguide caregivers on how to best support their child on the weight management journey.

Consumer guide – how to choose a health app
Clinicians guide – how to choose a health app
Healthy eating apps/nutrition apps
New Zealand-based apps
NZ Health App Library

Disclaimer: The NZ Health App Library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly.