Why fitness apps could be doing more harm than good
Fitness apps that track calories, count steps and offer unattainable goals could do more harm than good, researchers warn.
Health apps can encourage people to improve their fitness by running a certain distance, getting enough sleep, or eating the right foods.
However, many apps do not use “evidence- or theory-based” approaches to support these healthy changes and may give people “hard-to-achieve” goals.
That’s according to researchers at University College London (UCL), who found that fitness apps can discourage exercise in people.
Corresponding author Paulina Bondaronek from UCL said: “Fitness apps remain one of the most profitable and most downloaded health tools worldwide. While they can benefit health, much less attention is paid to their potential downsides.
“When health is reduced to calorie counts and step goals, it can leave people feeling demotivated, embarrassed, and disconnected from the things that truly drive lasting well-being.”
Published in the study British Journal of Health Psychology, looked at the negative behavioral and psychological consequences of commercial fitness apps reported by users on social media.
Researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze 58,881 posts of the five most profitable fitness apps on social media platform X as of March 2022. These included MyFitnessPal: Calorie Counter, Strava, Weight Watchers, Muscle Booster Workouts, and Fitness Coach and Diet: FitCoach.
Many negative themes were addressed, including the challenges of measuring diet and physical activity, the complexity of tracking calories and exercise through oversimplified algorithms, and emotional responses to apps’ notifications.
Some users felt overwhelmed by the apps and reported feelings of shame, frustration, and loss of motivation, causing them to quit the apps and, in some cases, engage in healthy behaviors.
One post on
Another wrote: “How disappointing it is when you smash the gym and MyFitnessPal for a day and there’s no difference… going back to eating Lotus Biscoff spread out of the jar.”
The researchers concluded that there is a need for a practice that prioritizes well-being over quantitative targets.
Dr D., a lecturer in musculoskeletal bioengineering at UCL and personal trainer. Darren Player emphasized that counting calories and steps are not appropriate ways to measure overall physical activity and health. But he doesn’t think fitness apps are inherently bad.
“Psychological aspects depend on personality,” Dr Player said. Independent. Some people expect responsibility, motivation, and satisfaction from interacting with their peers on apps like this. Other people will find these types of interactions demotivating.”
Matt Roberts, personal trainer to the rich and famous, said fitness apps can be “hugely positive” if used “with the right mindset”.
“For some, the aspect of competing with their peers may be discouraging, especially early on, but this should not detract from the fact that most users derive real and lasting benefits from seeing their progress and learning how their daily habits impact their health,” he added.
“The goal is to use data for personal growth, not personal judgment.”
MyFitnessPal, Strava, Weight Watchers, Workouts from Muscle Booster, and FitCoach were approached for comment.
