Should You Picture This? Effects of Picture-Based Food Diary Apps

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis:

Using mobile food diary apps can aid weight loss (e.g. Burke, Wang, & Sevick, 2011). However, the features of picture-based food diary apps are underexplored (Hales, Dunn, Wilcox, & Turner-McGrievy, 2016). This study examines how the use of a picture-based food diary app during consumption influences desire for a snack.

Picture-based food diary apps may influence consumption through one of two memory processes. Improving memory for food’s sensory properties decreases desire for that food through habituation (Epstein, Temple, Roemmich, & Bouton, 2009). All consumers will habituate to a sufficiently large portion of food, but improved memory may increase the rate of habituation for smaller portions of food. However, drawing attention to food’s sensory properties while simultaneously inhibiting memory development could also instead increase desire for a food through sensitization (Crolic & Janiszewski, 2016). If sensitization occurs, the effects should be stronger for larger portions of food, as consumers will have more opportunities to sensitize.

Hypothesis: Taking pictures using a food diary app will decrease a) liking and b) wanting of a snack; however, this decrease will only occur when a small, rather than a large, portion is consumed.

Hypothesis alt: Taking pictures using a food diary app will increase a) liking and b) wanting of the snack; however, this increase will only occur when a large, rather than a small, portion is consumed.

Methods:

The study adopted a 2 (snack size: small vs. large) × 2 (diary app use: taking pictures vs. not taking pictures) between-subjects factorial design. Of 93 participants, 75 were valid cases. Portions of 6 or 12 crackers were used as the snack following a pretest. Participants in the picture condition used the app Diet Tracker to take a picture after each bite of snack, while participants in the no picture condition were told to review the features of this app without changing settings while they ate the snack. After finishing the snack and reviewing the app, participants answered survey questions, reviewed the app again, and indicated their levels of liking and wanting for the snack.

Results:

Data analyses (two-way ANCOVA with snack size and diary app use as independent variables and eating restraint as a covariate) discovered snack size and diary app use did not significantly influence food liking (p> .05). The interaction between snack size and diary app use on food wanting was not significant (p> .05). However, there was a significant main effect of diary app use on food wanting[F(1, 70) = 4.16, p< .05, w_p²= 0.04]. Participants taking pictures had a greater desire to continue eating the snack (M= 69.77, SE = 4.60) than those not taking pictures (M= 55.78, SE = 5.06).

Conclusions:

The findings partially support the sensitization hypothesis. Taking pictures of food with a food diary app during consumption may increase the desire for that food.

Implications for research and/or practice:

Consumers who use food diary apps should avoid interrupting consumption by using apps. In the future, app developers should consider how features may influence the processes of sensitization and habituation.