Self-reflection Framing and Photo-Based Meal Tracking
When a self-monitoring tool is used to enhance behavior awareness, the tool should afford reflection by design. This work examines framing as a way to support diet reflection in photo-based meal tracking. To study the impact of imposing different frames on meal tracking, we designed two conditions--one focusing on capturing healthy meals, the other capturing unhealthy meals--and conducted a between-subjects diary study with college students.. Participants tracked either healthy or unhealthy meals only by taking photos and commenting their rationale. Through qualitative interviews, we uncovered key benefits and challenges for photo-based tracking, as well as behaviors for which different framing can be beneficial.
- Blair, J., Luo, Y., Ma, N.F., & Choe, E.K. (2018). OneNote Meal: A Photo-Based Diary Study for Reflective Meal Tracking, American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2018.
The Appropriation of Weight Loss Apps by Women with Eating Disorders
Within the HCI and Health Informatics communities, health and weight-loss apps are often viewed as tools to spark and maintain healthy behaviors, regarding diet and exercise, by reflecting on one's own data. However, little research has focused on the unintended consequences of using such apps for purposes and goals beyond that of the designer's original intentions, especially in the context of users with eating disorders. This appropriation was investigated through an analysis of weight loss app user data, along with the content shared between users through these apps social functions. This work helped shed light, not only on how users with eating disorders adopt weight loss apps to meet their needs, but why, be it to recover from or maintain unhealthy behaviors. Additionally, it characterizes the response of the overall weight-loss community regarding their level of judgment or support for users who may have maladaptive intentions for engaging with the community.
Eikey, E.V., Reddy, M.C., Booth, K., Kvasny, L., Blair, J., Li, Victor, Poole, E.S. (2017). Desire to be Underweight: An Exploratory Study on a Weight Loss App Community & User Perceptions of the Impact on Disordered Eating Behaviors. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 5(10):e150
Eikey, E.V., Reddy, M.C., Booth, K., Kvasny, L., Blair, J., Li, Victor, Poole, E.S. (2017). Desire to be Underweight: An Exploratory Study on a Weight Loss App Community & User Perceptions of the Impact on Disordered Eating Behaviors. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, 5(10):e150