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Review
. 2023 Apr;25(4):125-138.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-023-01415-x. Epub 2023 Mar 16.

Designing Digital Interventions for Eating Disorders

Andrea K Graham  1   2 , Jacqueline A Kosmas  3   4 , Thomas A Massion  3   5
Affiliations
Review

Designing Digital Interventions for Eating Disorders

Andrea K Graham et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Digital (i.e., online, mobile) interventions have potential to increase access to care for people with eating disorders, but engagement with digital interventions has been challenging. Human-centered design is a methodology that centralizes the design of technologies on the people who will be using them and the settings in which they will be implemented, to yield solutions with high engagement and clinical impact. The paper presents an overview of the human-centered design process, followed by a review of publications that have applied design methods to digital interventions for eating disorders.

Recent findings: Design research has been conducted via needs assessments, prototyping and usability studies, and during ongoing delivery of digital eating disorder interventions. There has been growing research applying design methods to digital interventions for eating disorders. Additional opportunities include designing for implementation, designing for equity, and designing for the optimization of digital interventions over time.

Keywords: Design; Digital interventions; Eating disorders; Human-centered design; User-centered design.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Streatfeild J, Hickson J, Austin SB, Hutcheson R, Kandel JS, Lampert JG, et al. Social and economic cost of eating disorders in the United States: evidence to inform policy action. Int J Eat Disord. 2021;54(5):851–68. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23486 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Klump KL, Bulik CM, Kaye WH, Treasure J, Tyson E. Academy for eating disorders position paper: eating disorders are serious mental illnesses. Int J Eat Disord. 2009;42(2):97–103. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.20589 . - DOI - PubMed
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