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Calorie-Counting Apps for Monitoring and Managing Calorie Intake in Adults Living With Weight-Related Chronic
Kaylee Rose Dugas1,2, Marie-Andrée Giroux1,2, Abdelatif Guerroudj1,2
1Centre de Formation Médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, Moncton, NB, Canada.
JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth
|December 2, 2025
Summary
Calorie counting apps can aid weight management in adults with obesity. Enhancing personalization, automation, and user experience is key to improving their clinical effectiveness and long-term adherence.
Area of Science:
- Mobile health (mHealth) interventions for chronic disease management.
- Digital health technologies in obesity and weight management.
- Dietary self-monitoring and behavioral change applications.
Background:
- Overweight and obesity are significant global public health issues linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension.
- Mobile health (mHealth) applications, specifically calorie-counting apps, show promise for dietary self-monitoring and weight control.
- The heterogeneity in design and evidence base of these apps complicates their evaluation for clinical feasibility and effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically evaluate the structure and content of 46 calorie-counting applications.
- To identify factors influencing the acceptability and feasibility of these apps among adults with obesity or weight-related chronic diseases.
- To formulate evidence-based recommendations for app developers, clinicians, and researchers.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review of literature on calorie-counting apps published between January 2013 and March 2024.
- Inclusion of 68 studies following PRISMA-ScR guidance, extracting data on app functionalities, features, user engagement, and acceptability factors.
- Synthesis of findings to provide practical recommendations for app design and clinical implementation.
Main Results:
- Forty-six distinct calorie-counting apps were identified, with MyFitnessPal and Lose It! being most studied.
- Key acceptability factors included personalization, automation, user-friendly design, and data sharing; barriers were technical issues and time burden.
- Adherence declined over time, highlighting the need for sustained engagement strategies.
Conclusions:
- Calorie-counting apps have potential for supporting individuals with obesity and weight-related chronic diseases.
- Enhancing user engagement through personalization, automation, comprehensive databases, and minimized effort is crucial for clinical utility.
- Further research is needed to validate effectiveness and explore strategies for sustained user adherence.
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