School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
School of Psychology, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
Eat Behav. 2021 Dec;43:101568. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101568. Epub 2021 Sep 15.
The number of people counting calories through apps is increasing, yet concerns have been raised that this could trigger symptoms of eating disorders. Although associations between calorie tracking and eating disorder symptomatology have been identified, further research is needed to understand motives for, and the perceived impact of, using a calorie tracking app. This study addressed these gaps with data collected from 1357 adults. A high percentage of participants (n = 964; 71%) had used a calorie tracking app; 531 participants (39%) reported currently using a calorie tracking app. Prior users reported higher levels of thinness- and muscularity-oriented disordered eating than non-users. Those using a calorie tracking app for weight-control/shape reasons were more likely to report that the app had contributed to several eating disorder symptoms (i.e., food preoccupation, all-or-none thinking around food, food anxiety, purging behaviours) than those using an app for health/disease prevention reasons. Engaging in a calorie tracking app for weight/shape reasons was associated with higher perceived helpfulness of calorie tracking app ratings and higher symptom severity. Findings suggest that underlying motives may be important to consider in research investigating the use of calorie tracking apps, as well as for health professionals working with clients engaging in these dietary monitoring tools.
通过应用程序计算卡路里的人数正在增加，但有人担心这可能会引发饮食失调症状。虽然已经确定了卡路里跟踪与饮食失调症状之间的关联，但仍需要进一步的研究来了解使用卡路里跟踪应用程序的动机和感知影响。本研究通过从 1357 名成年人那里收集的数据来解决这些差距。很大一部分参与者（n=964；71%）使用过卡路里跟踪应用程序；531 名参与者（39%）报告目前正在使用卡路里跟踪应用程序。以前的用户比非用户报告了更高水平的与消瘦和肌肉发达有关的饮食失调。那些出于控制体重/塑造体型的原因而使用卡路里跟踪应用程序的人，比那些出于健康/预防疾病的原因而使用应用程序的人，更有可能报告该应用程序导致了几种饮食失调症状（即，对食物的过分关注、对食物的全有或全无的思维、食物焦虑、催吐行为）。出于体重/体型原因而参与卡路里跟踪应用程序与更高的感知应用程序的有用性评分和更高的症状严重程度相关。研究结果表明，在研究使用卡路里跟踪应用程序的原因时，以及在与使用这些饮食监测工具的客户合作的健康专业人员中，潜在的动机可能很重要。
