The Dangerous Way Fitness Apps Can Lead to Disordered Eating and Obsessive Behavior

Nearly everyone from pro athletes to enthusiasts use a fitness tracker or fitness app to monitor sleep, track workouts, and clock calories burned. And while health-tracking apps and wearables get people moving more, new research suggests they could do more harm than good.Individuals who regularly utilize fitness apps are more likely to develop unhealthy habits with food and exercise, according to research from Flinders University.“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,” lead researcher Isabella Anderberg said in a statement.In the hopes of gaining insight into the harms of fitness trackers, researchers reviewed 38 quantitative and qualitative studies to examine possible links between the use of popular apps and the risk of developing addictive behavior in regard to weight loss and calorie counting. Related: Doing This 35 Minutes per Week May Reduce Dementia Risk by up to 41%The meta-analysis included peer-reviewed and published articles from 2012 to present day that covered four main concepts: diet and fitness apps, disordered eating, body image, and compulsive exercise.“The focus on dietary restriction and weight loss in these apps may feed into restrictive or excessive behaviors raising concerns for those people who have pre-existing concerns about their weight or body image,” Anderberg says. “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.”Although research shows the use of fitness apps can improve users’ physical activity and may assist in weight management better than via traditional food journals, researchers want to empower consumers and inform app developers.“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,” senior author Professor Ivanka Prichard adds.More research is needed to truly understand the long-term impacts of utilizing health and fitness apps.