Digital Self-Tracking Technologies, Disordered Eating Behaviours, and Athlete Populations: Exploratory Research to Inform the Design of Future Technologies
Creators: Michael Peel
Publisher: name: University of Alberta Library
Year: 2024

<p>Background: Clinically diagnosed eating disorders, subclinical disordered eating, and their associated disordered eating behaviours can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening consequences (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022; Deloitte Access Economics [DAE], 2020). Some athletes are especially susceptible to disordered eating behaviours due to a variety of complex and interconnected risk factors, including specific body composition and athletic performance expectations (Mountjoy et al., 2023; Wells et al., 2020). These athletes may utilize digital self-tracking technologies (e.g., Apple Watch, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Strava) to collect and analyze their personal health, fitness, and nutrition data (Boldi &amp; Rapp, 2022; Rapp &amp; Tirabeni, 2020). For some individuals, these technologies are associated with positive health and athletic performance outcomes (Boldi &amp; Rapp, 2022; Feng et al., 2021), while for other individuals, these technologies are associated with unintended negative health and athletic performance outcomes, including initiating and intensifying disordered eating behaviours (Moody et al., 2023; Scheid &amp; Lupien, 2021). Simultaneously, there is growing interest and evidence supporting the successful incorporation of digital self-tracking technologies within treatment and advanced research settings, including their potential to predict, detect, interrupt, and treat disordered eating behaviours within both general and athlete populations (Presseller et al., 2022; Taylor et al., 2021).</p>

<p>Design Problem and Research Aim: This foundation of research reveals that, in relation to disordered eating behaviours, digital self-tracking technologies are linked with both positive and negative health outcomes and possess the potential to improve or degrade the mental and physical health of some users. The conflicting potential and unintended negative consequences that are associated with these evolving technologies present several distinct challenges for designers that justify the need for additional research and understanding, specifically within vulnerable athlete populations. Therefore, the purpose of this Master of Design research project was to better understand the relationships between digital self-tracking technologies and disordered eating behaviours within athlete populations to inform the design and development of safe and ethical future technologies.</p>

<p>Research Approach: The research approach consisted of a social constructivism philosophical paradigm, an interpretative theoretical lens, a semi-structured qualitative study (SSQS) research design, and the use of semi-structured interviews as the primary research method. A total of 10 academic, professional, and lifestyle experts from the fields of product design and development, clinical psychology and counselling, and health sciences and kinesiology were interviewed. The interview participants were selected based on their education, expertise, and experience related to the topics of digital self-tracking technologies, disordered eating behaviours, and athlete populations. The interview sessions were recorded and transcribed, and the participant-approved interview transcripts were analyzed using an adapted form of thematic analysis.</p>

<p>Findings: Eight primary themes were established from the analysis of the interview transcript data. These themes included: (1) observed associations, unintended negative consequences, and potential risk factors; (2) addressing the complexity, presentation, and contextualization of health and performance data; (3) recognizing control, obsession, and addiction in health and performance data; (4) the conflicting potential of social media, social networking, and data-sharing features; (5) understanding the impact of self-tracking technologies on personal intuition and internal sensory awareness; (6) enhanced user customization and intelligent personalization features for improved safety; (7) future self-tracking technologies for the detection, intervention, and treatment of disordered eating behaviours; and (8) exploring increased ethical responsibility requirements for designers and future technologies.</p>

<p>Conclusions: The findings from this research project enhance our understanding of the complex relationships between digital self-tracking technologies and disordered eating behaviours within athlete populations. These findings serve to educate the design community about this complex and emerging design problem, provide a foundation for further research, and inform the design and development of safe and ethical future technologies that seek to mitigate disordered eating behaviours in both athlete and general populations.</p>