Evaluation of Mindfulness Eating Apps

Guluzade, Lala and Sas, Corina (2023) Evaluation of Mindfulness Eating Apps. In: 36th International BCS Human-Computer Interaction Conference :. British Computer Society, GBR, pp. 262-273.

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Abstract

Increased HCI research has focused on mindfulness technologies, and eating practices, such as healthy eating, but limited work has explored the intersection of these two rather than separate research areas to support the design for mindfulness eating. A growing number of mobile apps in the marketplace has focused on supporting healthy eating, including those targeting mindfulness eating; however, limited HCI research has focused on evaluating them. To address this gap, we report a study evaluating 13 apps of mindfulness eating on the Apple Store informed by mindfulness eating literature and mindfulness based-eating awareness training (MB-EAT) intervention. Findings indicate that such apps track bodily sensations and emotions as well as broader aspects pertaining to healthy eating and physical activities. Outcomes also reveal that such apps tend to provide support and interventions for either mindfulness meditation or mindfulness eating meditation, albeit fewer apps support both. We conclude with design implications including novel interfaces for mindfulness eating that leverage the body, and novel digital interventions for mindfulness eating informed by MB-EAT.