Mindful Eating Mobile Health Apps: Review and Appraisal.
diet
feeding behavior
mHealth
mindfulness
Journal
JMIR mental health
ISSN: 2368-7959
Titre abrégé: JMIR Ment Health
Pays: Canada
ID NLM: 101658926
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
22 Aug 2019
22 Aug 2019
Historique:
received:
14
11
2018
accepted:
05
04
2019
revised:
15
02
2019
entrez:
24
8
2019
pubmed:
24
8
2019
medline:
24
8
2019
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Mindful eating is an emerging area of research for managing unhealthy eating and weight-related behaviors such as binge eating and emotional eating. Although there are numerous commercial mindful eating apps available, their quality, effectiveness, and whether they are accurately based on mindfulness-based eating awareness are unknown. This review aimed to appraise the quality of the mindful eating apps and to appraise the quality of content on mindful eating apps. A review of mindful eating apps available on Apple iTunes was undertaken from March to April 2018. Relevant apps meeting the inclusion criteria were subjectively appraised for general app quality using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) guidelines and for the quality of content on mindful eating. A total of 22 apps met the inclusion criteria and were appraised. Many of the reviewed apps were assessed as functional and had moderate scores in aesthetics based on the criteria in the MARS assessment. However, some received lower scores in the domains of information and engagement. The majority of the apps did not teach users how to eat mindfully using all five senses. Hence, they were scored as incomplete in accurately providing mindfulness-based eating awareness. Instead, most apps were either eating timers, hunger rating apps, or diaries. Areas of potential improvement were in comprehensiveness and diversity of media, in the quantity and quality of information, and in the inclusion of privacy and security policies. To truly teach mindful eating, the apps need to provide guided examples involving the five senses beyond simply timing eating or writing in a diary. They also need to include eating meditations to assist people with their disordered eating such as binge eating, fullness, satiety, and craving meditations that may help them with coping when experiencing difficulties. They should also have engaging and entertaining features delivered through diverse media to ensure sustained use and interest by consumers. Future mindful eating apps could be improved by accurate adherence to mindful eating. Further improvement could be achieved by ameliorating the domains of information, engagement, and aesthetics and having adequate privacy policies.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Mindful eating is an emerging area of research for managing unhealthy eating and weight-related behaviors such as binge eating and emotional eating. Although there are numerous commercial mindful eating apps available, their quality, effectiveness, and whether they are accurately based on mindfulness-based eating awareness are unknown.
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
This review aimed to appraise the quality of the mindful eating apps and to appraise the quality of content on mindful eating apps.
METHODS
METHODS
A review of mindful eating apps available on Apple iTunes was undertaken from March to April 2018. Relevant apps meeting the inclusion criteria were subjectively appraised for general app quality using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) guidelines and for the quality of content on mindful eating. A total of 22 apps met the inclusion criteria and were appraised.
RESULTS
RESULTS
Many of the reviewed apps were assessed as functional and had moderate scores in aesthetics based on the criteria in the MARS assessment. However, some received lower scores in the domains of information and engagement. The majority of the apps did not teach users how to eat mindfully using all five senses. Hence, they were scored as incomplete in accurately providing mindfulness-based eating awareness. Instead, most apps were either eating timers, hunger rating apps, or diaries. Areas of potential improvement were in comprehensiveness and diversity of media, in the quantity and quality of information, and in the inclusion of privacy and security policies. To truly teach mindful eating, the apps need to provide guided examples involving the five senses beyond simply timing eating or writing in a diary. They also need to include eating meditations to assist people with their disordered eating such as binge eating, fullness, satiety, and craving meditations that may help them with coping when experiencing difficulties. They should also have engaging and entertaining features delivered through diverse media to ensure sustained use and interest by consumers.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Future mindful eating apps could be improved by accurate adherence to mindful eating. Further improvement could be achieved by ameliorating the domains of information, engagement, and aesthetics and having adequate privacy policies.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31441431
pii: v6i8e12820
doi: 10.2196/12820
pmc: PMC6727629
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
e12820Informations de copyright
©Lynnette Nathalie Lyzwinski, Sisira Edirippulige, Liam Caffery, Matthew Bambling. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 22.08.2019.
Références
Physiol Behav. 2007 Jul 24;91(4):449-58
pubmed: 17543357
Health Psychol. 2008 May;27(3):379-87
pubmed: 18624603
J Altern Complement Med. 2009 May;15(5):593-600
pubmed: 19432513
Health Promot Pract. 2009 Oct;10(4):490-4
pubmed: 19809002
Eat Disord. 2011 Jan-Feb;19(1):49-61
pubmed: 21181579
Obes Rev. 2014 Jun;15(6):453-61
pubmed: 24636206
Psychosom Med. 2015 Jan;77(1):59-67
pubmed: 25490697
J Pers Med. 2014 Jun 30;4(3):311-85
pubmed: 25563356
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015 Mar 11;3(1):e27
pubmed: 25760773
J Med Internet Res. 2015 Aug 17;17(8):e198
pubmed: 26283290
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015 Aug 19;3(3):e82
pubmed: 26290327
Support Care Cancer. 2016 Apr;24(4):1875-81
pubmed: 26463645
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015 Nov 04;3(4):e101
pubmed: 26537656
Clin Med (Lond). 2015 Dec;15(6):519-21
pubmed: 26621937
JAMA. 2016 Mar 8;315(10):1051-2
pubmed: 26954415
Appetite. 2016 Aug 1;103:249-258
pubmed: 27108837
J Telemed Telecare. 2018 May;24(4):290-302
pubmed: 28181859
J Med Internet Res. 2017 Mar 21;19(3):e82
pubmed: 28325712
Telemed J E Health. 2018 Mar;24(3):173-184
pubmed: 28885896