Review of Smartphone Applications for the Treatment of Eating Disorders

Summary & key facts

This review looked at smartphone apps made for treating eating disorders. The authors found that research on whether these apps work is scarce. They also found that most existing apps include few proven treatment methods and do not use the special abilities of smartphones (like real-time interaction and sensors). The paper says more testing of feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy is needed before these apps are used widely in treatment.

Key facts:

• The study aimed to (i) review existing eating-disorder apps, (ii) check how much they use evidence-based practices (EBPs), and (iii) see if they use recent smartphone technology advances.
• As of 2013, 56% of U.S. adults owned a smartphone, and 93% of those smartphone users used their phone to get information online (source cited in the review).
• By 2013 the review cites more than 40 billion iPhone app downloads and about 50 billion Android app downloads, and other sources estimated over 20,000 health-related apps available on mobile devices.
• The review found that existing eating-disorder intervention apps contained minimal evidence-based practices. It also found that these apps generally failed to use smartphone capabilities such as real-time interaction and built-in sensors.
• Current evidence-based treatments for adults with eating disorders that the paper describes include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT, including CBT-E) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT).
• CBT and CBT-E show better results for bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) than for anorexia nervosa (AN); the review reports 50–70% remission rates at post-treatment for BN and BED in some studies.
• For adults with AN, the review cites findings that about 60% agree to start CBT-E, and of those starters only about 50–60% show clinically significant responses, indicating poorer outcomes for AN than BN or BED.
• The authors conclude that before smartphone apps are widely used in eating-disorder treatment, studies must evaluate their feasibility, acceptability to users, and whether they actually work (efficacy).

Abstract

mHealth tools may be a feasible modality for delivering evidence-based treatments and principles (EBPs), and may enhance treatment for eating disorders (EDs). However, research on the efficacy of mHealth tools for EDs and the extent to which they include EBPs is lacking. The current study sought to (i) review existing apps for EDs, (ii) determine the extent to which available treatment apps utilize EBPs, and (iii) assess the degree to which existing smartphone apps utilize recent advances in smartphone technology. Overall, existing ED intervention apps contained minimal EBPs and failed to incorporate smartphone capabilities. For smartphone apps to be a feasible and effective ED treatment modality, it may be useful for creators to begin taking utilizing the abilities that set smartphones apart from in-person treatment while incorporating EBPs. Before mHealth tools are incorporated into treatments for EDs, it is necessary that the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy be evaluated.

Topics

Eating Disorders and Behaviors Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mobile Health and mHealth Applications

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Applied psychology Clinical psychology Computer science Eating disorders Human–computer interaction Internet privacy Intervention (counseling) mHealth Modality (human–computer interaction) Multimedia Programming language Psychiatry Psychological intervention Psychology Psychotherapist Set (abstract data type) Smartphone app Smartphone application