A scoping review of studies on self-tracking for weight management: Social contexts and experiences of a practice

Abstract

The market for self-tracking tools and apps for weight management has been growing over the last two decades. The aim of this scoping review is to identify social science studies that explicitly focus on the actual practices and experiences of users of these tools and the social contexts in which they take place. Searching four databases in April 2021, we identified 15 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2021 in Western countries. The review of the studies shows the ambivalences of the use of self-tracking tools for weight management and especially how the designs and features of the apps frame positive (e.g. through social networks) as well as negative experiences (e.g. through reminder features). It also reveals a lack of in-depth intersectional research with reference to gender, social stratification and country-specific body cultures as well as a need for research to question itself on its fatmisiac assumptions.