Teens in NYC Protection+
Last week, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene added a new app to its list -- CalCutter. This diet app, the fourth on the city's list of official apps, allows cooks to enter in a recipe and the app will generate a healthier option by switching out some ingredients for others. The app was made to help battle obesity rates in the city, which are 60 percent for adults and 40 percent for children.
While some cities don't have any health apps available for residents yet, we've compiled a list of apps that do come from their respective city health departments.
Here are ten apps that were created by a city or state's department of health listed in the Apple App store or Google Play store. Many of the apps are food inspection apps, which allow you to access the public health grades for restaurants in the city but other kinds of apps are also listed such as sexual health information apps for teens and recipe generators to help residents cook a healthier meal.
CalCutter (iOS and Android)
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has developed an app that allows cooks to enter a recipe and intended number of servings. The app will then calculate the estimated calories per serving. You can ask CalCutter to convert your recipe into a healthier dish by suggesting changes that could lower the calories. Recipes can be saved and emailed.
ABCEats (iOS and Android)
This app finds restaurant grades and detailed inspection reports for each of the New York City's 24,000 restaurants using the NYC Health Department’s free mobile restaurant inspection app. Users can check inspection letter grades at restaurants near their current location or search by restaurant name or neighborhood. Information is updated daily, according to the app description.
Teens in NYC Protection+ (iOS and Android)
NYC's sexual health app provides teens with information about where to go, what to get, and what to expect when dealing with sexual health issues. The app helps teens find clinics in all 5 boroughs.
NYC Condom Finder by NYC Health (iOS and Android)
NYC Condom Finder helps you find free condoms throughout the city. Find Condoms NYC uses the mobile phone's GPS to locate and provide walking directions to the five nearest venues that distribute free condoms. The app has more than 3,000 locations throughout all five boroughs.
Alabama Department of Public Health (iOS and Android)
Last month, MobiHealthNews wrote about the Alabama Department of Public Health's app, which is meant to improve dissemination of public health information to Alabama residents and to keep the public health community up to date about opportunities for continuing education.
Restaurant Inspections (Android)
This app offers the most recent inspection scores for restaurants in Mississippi, based on the state Department of Health’s A-B-C system. Search for restaurants by city and name to find the results and date of the last visit by a state Health Department inspector.
Green River District Health Department (iOS and Android)
The Green River District Health Department App was created to help Kentucky users stay informed and connected with the department every day through a variety of features. This app provides users with contact features, map directions, and in-app messaging to have real time communication with Green River District Health Department including audio, text, and photo message capabilities.
Safe Diner (iOS and Android)
Safe Diner allows instant access to inspection results of food facilities regulated by Kern County Environmental Health in California. This app also allows you to file a complaint about a food facility and upload any photos that you may have associated with the complaint. The Inspection information is updated daily.
California Food Inspector (iOS and Android)
Contra Costa Health Services' app offers users an inspection database of 4,200 food facilities. Users can search for a restaurant by name to see whether it has been cited for health violations or use the “Near Me” button to inspect eateries close to the user's current location.
Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health (iOS and Android)
The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health in California created the “Cerro Gordo Smart Dining” app, allowing users to search for area restaurants by their nutritional environment, location, cuisine type, and restaurant name.
