Do Health Apps Stigmatize People with Obesity?

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Medical Informatics
• Public Health

Background:

• Mobile health applications are increasingly prevalent in healthcare.
• Concerns exist regarding the potential for digital health tools to perpetuate societal biases.
• Obesity is a complex health issue often subject to social stigma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze mobile applications in the "Medicine" category of the Apple App Store for stigmatizing content related to obesity.
• To identify the prevalence of potentially stigmatizing word and image language within these applications.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of apps within the "Medicine" category was conducted.
• Apps were screened for keywords and imagery associated with obesity and weight management.
• Content analysis focused on identifying language and visuals that could contribute to weight stigma.

Main Results:

• Out of 71 examined apps, only 5 (approximately 7%) were identified as potentially stigmatizing regarding obesity.
• Examples of stigmatization include the excessive promotion of extremely slim body types in weight loss apps.
• The study found limited but present instances of potentially harmful content.

Conclusions:

• While the majority of examined obesity-related apps did not appear overtly stigmatizing, a small proportion requires attention.
• The findings highlight the need for careful content creation and review in digital health to avoid perpetuating weight bias.
• Further research is recommended to explore the impact of subtle stigmatization in health apps.