Exercise and calorie tracking apps: investigating the potential for harm

Project Summary (Please do not exceed 4000 characters, including spaces):

The aims of this study are (a) to clearly define and develop appropriate measurement of problematic use of exercise and calorie tracking apps and how this relates to negative exercise attitudes and behaviour (b) to explore how game design elements within apps may link with problematic use and exercise attitudes and behaviours.

Apps for smartphones which track progress towards exercise and diet goals have been introduced as motivational tools. While most research has focussed on their success in supporting users to make positive behaviour changes (e.g. Liu and Willoughby, 2018; Difilippo et al., 2015), recent research has identified a link between tracking apps and negative exercise and eating attitudes and behaviours, such as eating disorders (e.g. Simpson and Mazzeo, 2017; Plateau et al., 2018).

Smartphones can become problematic when a user is unable to regulate use, leading to negative consequences (Billieux, 2012). The problematic use of tracking apps may be related to adverse effects on health and wellbeing through the development and maintenance of compulsive exercise. Meyer and colleagues (2011) identify eating psychopathology, obsessive-compulsiveness and perfectionism as factors which support the maintenance of compulsive exercise. Tracking apps may influence these factors by promoting anxiety, guilt and a rigid way of thinking about exercise and eating (Simpson and Mazzeo, 2017, p. 90). When users are unable to regulate their use, increases in anxiety, guilt and rigid thinking could promote compulsive exercise in addition to adverse psychological effects.

Many tracking apps use game design elements in non-game contexts to motivate behaviour, known as gamification (Deterding et al., 2011). Within health, gamification is largely considered to motivate positive behavioural change (Johnson et al. 2016), however, a study by Attig and Franke (2013) found that gamification led to a dependence on feedback from a physical activity tracking app. Specific game design elements have been shown to produce specific psychological effects (Sailer et al., 2016). Therefore, this study will consider whether the use of game design elements could lead to the problematic use of tracking apps in some users, alongside negative exercise and eating attitudes and behaviours.

Stage One: I propose to produce a psychometric scale measuring problematic use of tracking apps, as suggested by Levinson, Fewell & Brosof (2017). The scale will be validated using a random sample of young adult tracking app users.

The validated scale will then be employed in a between groups analysis using a non-clinical and a clinical sample of young adult tracking app users. The Compulsive Exercise Test (Meyer et al., 2016) will be used to identify the samples. Participants will be given questionnaires measuring problematic use of tracking apps and exercise and eating attitudes and behaviours. Results will also establish a threshold at which clinicians could recommend interventions.

Stage Two: I propose a content analysis on the most popular tracking apps to identify specific design features in tracking apps, followed by a controlled experiment to examine the influence of these design features on exercise and eating attitudes and behaviours. Analysis would identify whether the use of gamified features influenced exercise and eating behaviours, engagement with the apps and whether this was problematic and effects on wellbeing. Understanding how specific design features in tracking apps influence negative exercise attitudes and behaviour could influence the future design of tracking apps in order to minimise the risk of harm.