Understanding Behavioral Influences on Eating Disorders and App Engagement to Inform Eating Disorder App Development: Qualitative Online Focus Groups With Adults With Lived Experience

TL;DR

This study explores how to design better eating disorder apps by understanding the psychological and social factors that influence disordered eating and app engagement.

Contribution

The study is the first to apply COM-B and TDF frameworks to both disordered eating behaviors and app engagement, identifying overlooked mechanisms and design pitfalls.

Findings

Digital ED interventions should target 83% of COM-B domains and 93% of TDF domains to effectively change maladaptive behaviors.

Poorly delivered behavior change techniques can undermine app engagement and worsen symptoms.

Personalized and culturally adaptive app design is crucial due to the influence of sex and cultural background on behavior domains.

Abstract

Eating disorders (EDs) are severe mental health conditions driven by psychological, social, and emotional factors and have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. Although evidence-based, theory-driven behavior change interventions are the gold standard, access to treatment remains limited. Digital interventions, such as apps, may offer accessible support for individuals with mild to moderate EDs; however, their development has rarely been guided by systematic behavior change frameworks. Consequently, many interventions inadequately target the mechanisms underlying ED behaviors and commonly lack involvement of people with lived experience.

This study aimed to identify priority behavioral change targets for ED apps by capturing lived experience perspectives on the psychological, behavioral, and contextual factors maintaining disordered eating and driving app engagement. Using the capability, opportunity, motivation—behavior (COM-B) and theoretical domains framework (TDF), we mapped these determinants to identify where and how apps can most effectively enhance capability, opportunity, and motivation.

In total, 6 small focus groups (2-5 participants per group) were conducted with 13 female and 5 male adults, including minority ethnic backgrounds, living in the United Kingdom with lived experience of an ED. Discussions explored (1) the psychological, social, and environmental determinants underpinning participants’ disordered eating behaviors and (2) the behavioral and contextual mechanisms influencing engagement with an ED app. A hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis was performed using the COM-B model and the TDF. Themes were mapped onto evidence-based behavior change techniques using the Theory and Techniques Tool.

This study identified clear behavior change targets for digital ED interventions, identifying requirements in 5 of 6 (83%) COM-B domains and 13 of 14 (93%) associated TDF domains for changing maladaptive ED behaviors and 5 of 6 (83%) COM-B and 12 of 14 (86%) TDF domains for sustaining app engagement. Although social support and emotional regulation were key influences, less commonly targeted domains, such as social or professional role and identity and belief in capabilities, emerged as powerful drivers in this population. Crucially, it demonstrated that effectiveness depended not only on which behavior change techniques were included but also on how they were implemented, as poorly delivered techniques can undermine engagement and exacerbate symptoms. Sex and cultural background moderated almost every domain, highlighting the necessity of personalized, adaptive delivery and the inadequacy of one-size-fits-all approaches.

As the first study to apply the COM-B and TDF frameworks to both disordered eating behaviors and app engagement, it identifies previously overlooked behavioral mechanisms and design pitfalls, including how poorly delivered techniques can undermine recovery. It provides a practical blueprint for developing safer, more personalized, and behaviorally effective ED apps. Significant work is needed to advance apps in line with these recommendations, supported by ongoing collaboration with diverse people with lived experience.

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