Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Dec:27:14-16.
doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2017.08.003. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

My Fitness Pal calorie tracker usage in the eating disorders

Cheri A Levinson  1 , Laura Fewell  2 , Leigh C Brosof  2
Affiliations

My Fitness Pal calorie tracker usage in the eating disorders

Cheri A Levinson et al. Eat Behav. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Mobile phone and tablet usage has become a part of modern life. Mobile applications that count calories, such as My Fitness Pal, are frequently employed on a daily basis. Recent research has shown that in undergraduates, calorie tracking is associated with eating disorder pathology. In the current study (N=105 individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder), we assessed usage of My Fitness Pal to track calories. We also assessed perceptions that My Fitness Pal contributed to eating disorder symptoms and if these perceptions were associated with eating disorder symptoms. We found that a substantial percentage (~75%) of participants used My Fitness Pal and that 73% of these users perceived the app as contributing to their eating disorder. Furthermore, we found that these perceptions were correlated with eating disorder symptoms. This research suggests that My Fitness Pal is widely used in an eating disorder population and is perceived as contributing to eating disorder symptoms. Further research is needed to clarify the role calorie tracking applications play within a sample of individuals with eating disorders.

Keywords: Calorie tracking; Eating disorders; My Fitness Pal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflicts of interest to report.

References

    1. Ellison JM, Wonderlich SA, Engel SG. Application of modern technology in eating disorder assessment and intervention. In: Walsh TB, Attia E, Glasofer DR, Sysko R, editors. Handbook of assessment and treatment of eating disorders. Arlington: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2015. pp. 231–258.
    1. Evans D. My fitness pal. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;0:1–2. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2015-095538. - DOI
    1. Fairburn CG, Beglin SJ. Assessment of eating disorders: Interview or self-report questionnaire? International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1994;16:363–370. - PubMed
    1. Higgins JP. Smartphone applications for patients’ health and fitness. The American Journal of Medicine. 2016;129(1):11–19. - PubMed
    1. Juarascio AS, Manasse SM, Goldstein SP, Forman EM, Butryn ML. Review of smartphone applications for the treatment of eating disorders. European Eating Disorders Review. 2015;23(1):1–11. doi: 10.1002/erv.2327. - DOI - PMC - PubMed