Do Recovery Apps Even Exist?: Why College Women with Eating Disorders Use (But Not Recommend) Diet and Fitness Apps Over Recovery Apps

Getting individuals to adopt condition-specific apps over general health apps remains an issue. Using eating disorders (EDs) as an example, we explored (1) if users recommend the general diet and fitness apps they repurpose for ED recovery and (2) if they use condition-specific apps intended for recovery. We used semi-structured interviews and four questionnaires to investigate use and perceptions of diet and fitness apps and recovery apps with 24 college women with self-identified and clinically-diagnosed EDs. Using inductive coding, we generated themes to address their lack of use of recovery apps. We found the majority (n = 13) would not recommend using general diet and fitness apps for recovery (compared to only 3 who would), yet most participants did not seek out a condition-specific app even when their objective was recovery. Four themes emerged around the non-use of recovery apps: lack of awareness, unpopularity or unfamiliarity, unwillingness, and lack of features or poor usability. In order to improve awareness as well as perceived popularity and familiarity of condition-specific apps, we suggest researchers and clinicians develop approved app lists, primary care clinicians become expert recommenders for evidence-based apps, and clinicians and educators leverage social media and college settings to reach these “hard to reach” populations.