Statement

The Palestinian Online Nutrition Information System (ACINS) was founded in 2018. This is one of the main projects that have been ongoing for the past 19 years under Alquds Nutrition and Health Research Institute (ANHRI), which is affiliated with AlQuds University. The main feature of this system is that it includes over 6,800 recipes that are analyzed up to 83 nutrient values using the USDA database and Nutribase software. These recipes were chosen in a manner that reflects the Palestinian dietary trend, needs, requirements, and preferences. With around 17 team members of researchers, nutritionists, and programmers, this system was designed with the expectations to benefit different groups. ACINS will act as a baseline system for accurately planning and delivering healthcare interventions, both health professionals, including dietitians, community workers, physicians, and others who deliver these interventions and the general population can benefit from the availability of these tools. In the longer term, this is expected to benefit the general population by decreasing the incidence of nutrition related diseases or help manage the consequential side effects by delaying them or reducing the severity of the symptoms, and therefore increasing productivity and quality of life. Researchers, students, and policy makers will also benefit from this system as it will guide students and researchers to further develop nutrition research and will aid in providing evidence based policies, particularly in areas of public health and food security where modules that serve both purposes are in progress.