APPEAR, Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Student Health and Wellness Counseling and Psychological Services, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Int J Eat Disord. 2024 Jul;57(7):1532-1541. doi: 10.1002/eat.24192. Epub 2024 Mar 12.
A growing body of research, primarily cross-sectional, suggests a relationship between the practice of tracking one's food intake and exercise behaviors using fitness-tracking smartphone applications ("apps") or wearable devices ("wearables") and disordered eating symptomatology. The aim of the present study was to explore longitudinal relationships between fitness tracking and disordered eating outcomes among college-aged women, as well as to determine whether the individual-level risk factors of pre-existing eating concerns, perfectionism, and rumination about food moderated the relationship.
N = 68 female undergraduates used the MyFitnessPal app for 8 weeks while completing a series of self-report measures.
At the trait level, fitness tracking frequency was positively associated with weight/shape concerns, but not with the other outcome measures. Daily levels of fitness tracking did not predict next-day levels for any of the outcome measures. Within-day fitness tracking at one timepoint was associated with lower reports of dietary restraint efforts at the next timepoint. None of the proposed moderators significantly interacted with the relationships over time.
These results suggest that while those who engage in fitness tracking may experience higher weight/shape concerns as a trait, over time fitness tracking was not associated with an increase in concerns. Further work exploring whether fitness tracking may affect particular subgroups in different ways is warranted.
越来越多的研究表明，使用健身追踪智能手机应用程序（“应用程序”）或可穿戴设备（“可穿戴设备”）来跟踪自己的饮食摄入和运动行为与饮食失调症状之间存在关联。本研究旨在探讨在年轻女性中，健身追踪与饮食失调结果之间的纵向关系，并确定个体层面的风险因素，如先前存在的饮食问题、完美主义和对食物的沉思是否会调节这种关系。
68 名女性大学生使用 MyFitnessPal 应用程序 8 周，同时完成一系列自我报告的测量。
在特质水平上，健身追踪的频率与体重/体型的担忧呈正相关，但与其他结果测量指标无关。每日的健身追踪水平并不能预测任何结果测量指标的次日水平。在同一时间点的日内健身追踪与下一个时间点较低的饮食限制努力报告相关。没有任何提出的调节因素在时间上与关系有显著的相互作用。
这些结果表明，尽管那些参与健身追踪的人可能会经历更高的体重/体型担忧作为一种特质，但随着时间的推移，健身追踪与担忧的增加无关。进一步探索健身追踪是否会以不同的方式影响特定的亚组是有必要的。
