Fitness Apps Fuelling Disordered Eating

The AHA! Team — Wed, 14 May 2025 05:09:27 +0000

Flinders University via EurekAlert! – With New Year resolutions in full swing and health tracking apps at our fingertips, new research reveals concerning links between health and fitness apps and disordered eating, body image concerns and excessive exercise. “Diet and fitness apps are marketed as tools to improve health, however they may also have unintended negative consequences, such as creating pressure to meet goals, concerns about body image as well as provoking feelings of guilt if goals aren’t achieved,” says Ms Isabella Anderberg in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work. “Whilst there is evidence that these tools can be effective in increasing physical activity, we’re interested in understanding whether these apps might actually be harmful for some users.” Diet and Fitness apps The use of diet and fitness apps is common among young adults, with an estimated 311 million people using health apps, such as MyFitnessPal, to track their meals, calories, and exercise. Flinders University researchers reviewed 38 studies to examine the links between the use of diet and fitness apps and the risk of users becoming obsessive about weight loss, body image, calorie counting, and excessive exercise. The research found that those who use health and fitness apps regularly were more likely to have problematic habits related to food and exercise. “We found that young adults who use diet and fitness apps have greater disordered eating symptoms, such as harmful or restrictive diets, and have negative thoughts about body image when compared to those that don’t use them,” says Ms Anderberg. Focus on Dietary Restriction and Weight-Loss “The focus on dietary restriction and weight-loss in these apps may feed into restrictive or excessive behaviours raising concerns for those people who have pre-existing concerns about their weight or body image. “While some users reported positive experiences such as increased awareness and motivation, the broader implications for mental health need careful consideration, especially among vulnerable populations like adolescents,” she says. The research also highlights the responsibility that app developers have when designing health and fitness apps to consider the psychological impacts of these tools. Senior author, Professor Ivanka Prichard, says that as more people turn to apps for guidance in their wellness journeys, they should ensure that they are prioritising mental health alongside fitness goals. Being Aware of the Potential Risks “Our findings highlight the importance of promoting healthy body image and exercise behaviours among young adults, and of being aware of the potential risks associated with the use of diet and fitness apps and for users to approach them with a focus on improving their health,” says Professor Prichard. “In a growing world of technology, studies like this are important in shaping future research to provide the best health and self-management information via apps to the wider population,” Professor Prichard adds. The research team noted that more research is needed to understand the benefits and risks related to using health and fitness apps. Self-Monitoring Technology “As self-monitoring technology evolves and new diet and fitness apps are released, it is crucial that research continues to explore potential benefits and any unintended consequences connected to their use,” concludes Ms Anderberg. The article, “The link between the use of diet and fitness monitoring apps, body image and disordered eating symptomology: A systematic review” by Isabella Anderberg, Eva Kemps and Ivanka Prichard was published in Body Image journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101836 Journal Body Image DOI 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101836 To read the original article click here.

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New App Offers Relief for Parents Mourning the Loss of a Child

The AHA! Team — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 06:10:12 +0000

Uppsala University via News-Medical – A new study shows that an app can help parents who are mourning the loss of a child. Parents who used the app for three months reported reduced symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress, and also had fewer negative thoughts. Some parents thought the app should be offered early in the mourning process. This is demonstrated in a new study from Uppsala University, published in the scholarly journal Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. In the acute grief following a death, it is natural for family members to think it feels unreal and difficult to accept that the person who has died will not be coming back. For most people, the intense grief diminishes over time. They can accept the grief, live positively and manage to look ahead. However, some people become stuck in acute grief, a condition known as ‘prolonged grief’. They may preserve the child’s room as it was or visit the grave very frequently, even several years after the loss. It becomes a kind of ritual and a duty that they cannot escape. We have investigated whether the app can alleviate symptoms of prolonged grief and of depression and post-traumatic stress as well. In the study, we also investigate whether destructive patterns such as rumination and avoidance can be improved in this way.” Josefin Sveen, Professor of Clinical Psychology and first author of the study There are several apps based on cognitive behavioural therapy for coping with various mental health problems. A common feature of these apps is that they help the user to normalise thoughts, behaviours and feelings that are natural in the various situations they address. Based on previous self-help app In her previous research on the app PTSD Coach, a self-help app for people suffering from PTSD, Sveen discovered that parents whose child has died lack help in managing their grief. She therefore began to develop the new app in the hope that this could help them. Initially, she thought of parents whose child had died of cancer. Later, this group was expanded to include children dying from other causes. The study involved 248 parents (80 per cent of them mothers). All had lost a child in the last 10 years. Almost half of the children had died of cancer and the average age at the time of death was 11. Participation was entirely voluntary. The participants were contacted by letter and via social media hosted by the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund and Spädbarnsfonden (the Swedish Infant Death Foundation), which also co-financed the study. Half of the participants received access to the app, the other half had to wait three months before being allowed to use it. “Grief meter’ The app has four components. Firstly, learning about grief and prolonged grief, and learning to accept grief. Secondly, help in finding support in your surroundings, for example, from friends, relations or colleagues, and easily accessible contact details to support organisations. Thirdly, practical exercises and strategies, including relaxation and help in writing about your grief and your feelings. One exercise involves writing a letter to the child who has died. It can also involve visiting physical places that you have previously avoided, or looking at photos of the child. The fourth component is a ‘grief meter’ in which the user can rate their own grief and register how strong or weak the feeling of grief has been at different points during the day. “Many participants thought this was particularly useful. Being able to see that their grief changed from day to day, that there are certain times when it is worst, and that they can feel quite all right in between,” Sveen says. She continues: “I am glad we have succeeded in producing an app that parents feel helps them. The feedback we received from them was that they appreciated the variety of functions offered by the app – as they described it, it was helpful to have several types of support in just one place. The self-assessments that they made of their health also show that their prolonged grief symptoms declined thanks to the app. Some parents thought that in future, the app should be offered early in the process of mourning.” Next step young people The study shows that the app can be a first step in providing information about grief and strategies for managing the challenges that grief brings. The next steps will be, firstly, to follow up the study in a year’s time, and secondly, to conduct a similar study with an app for young people who have lost a parent and/or a sister or brother. Source: Uppsala University Journal reference: Sveen, J., et al. (2024). My grief app for prolonged grief in bereaved parents: a randomised waitlist-controlled trial. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. doi.org/10.1080/16506073.2024.2429068. To read the original article click here.

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Fitness Apps Fuelling Disordered Eating

New App Offers Relief for Parents Mourning the Loss of a Child