What comes to mind when you think of malnutrition?
For many, it’s simply a lack of food. But in reality, malnutrition has three aspects: stunting (when a child is too short for their age), wasting (when a child is too thin for their height), and being overweight (when a child is too heavy for their height). This phenomenon is also known as the double burden of malnutrition.
These issues don’t just affect growth and health in the present. They carry long-term consequences for growing children, as “any form of malnutrition can weaken the immune system”, says Mr Dannel Lim, NUS-ISS MTech SE alumnus and Digital Health Technical Consultant at multinational food and beverage company, Danone.
He was speaking at a featured talk at the NUS-ISS Learning Festival 2025, where he shared how AI and digital tools co-developed by Danone and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital are transforming pediatric health.
The most critical window, says Mr Lim, is the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. During this time, nutrition shapes not only a child’s physical growth and immunity, but also brain development and future health outcomes.
“That’s why early identification is key,” he adds. “The way to do that is through tracking growth, and the goal is to really act before it’s too late.”
A digital scale, at scale
How is growth tracked? For babies, the current standard is to use the length board – a flat measuring device where the child is laid down and held in place to record their height.
But as Mr Lim points out, the tool is far from perfect. It is costly, requires two healthcare workers to operate, and the process itself can be uncomfortable and distressing for infants. Even then, the measurement is not always precise, with potential errors of 1 to 2 cm.
He also adds that millions of children – especially in lower-resource settings – risk slipping through the cracks.
But with a digital growth tracker developed by Danone, says Mr Lim, the same result can be achieved more easily, affordably, and at scale using just a smartphone. Parents can simply snap an image of their child and upload it onto the app. The tool then leverages AI to validate photos, detect joints and guide parents in capturing accurate images.
“Currently, a production-ready version of this tool is being implemented in Indonesia,” says Mr Lim.
Cracking the diaper code
For both adults and children, stool is one of the earliest indicators of gut health.
“Whatever you ingest, your poop shows the first signs,” says Mr Lim. For parents, however, these “first signs” often lead to confusion and anxiety. “Why does the poop look like that?” is a common question that many parents ask.
In the past, parents would try to describe the mess to doctors: “It’s mushy, a bit green”. But without clinical terms, these explanations are often imprecise and hard for healthcare providers to interpret.
That’s where the digital stool tracker – designed to simplify what Mr Lim calls the “diaper puzzle” – comes in. Similar to the growth tracker, parents just have to upload an image of the diaper mess on the mobile app. AI does the rest, by classifying the stool’s features, such as colour and consistency, and translating them into insights. It can flag possible causes, says Mr Lim, from something as simple as too much liquid in the diet to potential signs of a more serious issue.
The scale of adoption for this clinically validated tool is staggering. “Right now, we have one of the biggest shit databases in the world – with more than three million records of poop from 40 different countries,” Mr Lim says with a laugh.
Simplifying access
What makes these digital tools so powerful is not just their scientific rigor, but their accessibility, says Mr Lim. He points out that in developed countries like Singapore, regular growth tracking is mandatory and supported by established healthcare systems.
But access is far more limited in certain regions, such as rural areas in Indonesia. “Parents may need to travel long distances (to get) to a clinic, and that costs money,” Mr Lim explains. As a result, many simply “let the child grow” without realising that the child could be suffering from malnutrition.
AI-powered tools by Danone, such as the growth and stool tracker, can help bridge this healthcare gap – by delivering clinically validated insights through something as familiar as a mobile app.
It’s about empowering parents and enabling early intervention, Mr Lim says, so that every child has the chance to reach their full potential.
As digital health continues to transform how we care for the next generation, stories like these highlight the impact of technology in making healthcare more accessible, personalised and preventive. At NUS-ISS, our Digital Health programmes equip professionals with the knowledge and skills to design, develop, and deploy such innovations responsibly, thereby improving lives through data, AI, and digital systems. Visit our Digital Health page on our website to learn more.
Learning in action as Participants dive into real-world insights and digital strategies at the NUS-ISS Learning Festival.