ArticlePreventive medicine2022
Using apps to self-monitor diet and physical activity is linked to greater use of disordered eating behaviors among emerging adults.
Article in Preventive medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Inequalities in Exclusively Mobile Interventions Targeting Weight-Related Behaviors: Systematic Review of Observational Studies.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic search and review focusing on the influence of health-tracking technologies on eating habits and attitudes.Journal of health psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Associations Between the Use of Fitness and Diet Tracking Technology and Disordered Eating Behaviour: A Systematic Review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Pooled it
- Momentary physiological indices related to eating disorders: A systematic and methodological review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2024Pooled it
- Young adults' perceptions of food classification criteria and barriers to healthy eating: a qualitative inquiry from eight Indian metropolises.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Orthorexia Nervosa in Bodybuilders: Exploring a Critical Research Gap and the Role of Social Media and Self-Monitoring Applications.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Review
- Calorie tracking and energy balance: links to body image-related factors and functional impairment in a fitness sample.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Evaluation of Mobile Intermittent Fasting Applications in Chinese App Stores: Quality Evaluations and Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Article
- Difficulty in Emotion Regulation and Self-Concealment as Mediators of the Link Between Psychological Distress and Disordered Eating Behavior in Emerging Adult Women.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Empowering CKD and Hemodialysis Patients with mHealth: Implementation of the NephroGo App in Europe.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Emerging Adults Report Internal, External, and Social/Environmental Motivations for Weight-Related Self-Monitoring Application Use.Journal of nutrition education and behavior · 2025Article
- The associations between calorie tracking, body image dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and menstrual cycle characteristics in resistance-trained athletes.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Article
- Primary School Pupils' Perceptions and Experiences of Wearable Technologies.The Journal of school health · 2024Article
- A mixed-methods longitudinal examination of weight-related self-monitoring and disordered eating among a population-based sample of emerging adults.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Social media behaviors and body type ideals predict weight loss and food tracking behaviors among recreational climbers.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Predictors of Food and Physical Activity Tracking Among Young Adults.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2023Article
- Commercial mHealth Apps and Unjust Value Trade-offs: A Public Health Perspective.Public health ethics · 2022Article
- Weight-related Self-monitoring App Use Among Emerging Adults is Cross-sectionally Associated With Amount and Type of Physical Activity and Screen Time.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Use of weight-related self-monitoring (WRSM) apps is common among emerging adults, as are weight and shape concerns. The present study aimed to examine (1) whether emerging adult use of dietary-focused (e.g., MyFitnessPal) and physical activity-focused (e.g., Fitbit) WRSM apps was associated with weight-control and muscle-building behaviors, including commonly recommended/conventional behaviors and disordered behaviors and (2) whether prior use of weight-control and muscle-building behaviors in adolescence might explain such relationships. Data were collected as part of the EAT (Eating and Activity over Time) 2010-2018 study (n = 1446) and analyzed using gender-stratified logistic regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics and body mass index. Among women and men, physical activity- and dietary-focused app use were associated with greater adjusted prevalence of disordered weight-control behaviors (e.g., fasting, purging), and disordered muscle-building behaviors (e.g., using steroids). Physical activity- and dietary-focused app use were also associated with a higher adjusted prevalence of commonly recommended weight-control and conventional muscle-building behaviors (e.g., exercising, changing eating habits), but only among those who were also engaging in disordered behaviors. The observed associations remained statistically significant in models that further adjusted for adolescent use of the respective behaviors. Findings suggest that emerging adults who use physical activity- and dietary-focused WRSM apps are more likely to engage in disordered weight-control and muscle-building behaviors and that associations are not explained by engagement in these behaviors during adolescence. Future research is needed to examine if there are aspects of WRSM apps that could be modified to reduce potential harm.
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Registered trials
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