Designing a conversational agent for the prevention of eating disorders

Eating disorders and disordered eating behaviours are relative common among adolescents and young adults, especially young females or elite athletes. The most common treatment of intervention for eating disorders is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy that aims to recognize and change individuals’ thoughts and emotions through conversational guidance. Eating disorders are generally under-diagnosed, because patients tend to hide their symptoms and not seek any treatment. They are also associated with other mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety.

Current nutrition technologies in the market are focused on tracking nutrition or calory intake, which provides insufficient technology for individuals at a risk of eating disorders. Nutrition applications for tracking calory intake are often inaccurate and can promote unhealthy body image and result in obsessive tracking of calories. A major risk factor for developing eating disorders is body image dissatisfaction, which is influenced by social media, particularly image-based platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Prior studies show that online activities in social media can significantly impact the prevention and treatment of eating disorders in the clinical context. 

This project explores the possibilities and challenges for designing a conversational agent for promoting healthy body image with and for young adults in a risk of eating disorders. The purpose is to develop a dialogue model, grounded in the theories and values of cognitive behavioural therapy, consisting of guided conversational exercises and journaling practices. These should support a healthy body image through elicitation of conversation using topic-based questions. The aim of the model is to identify negative thoughts associated with body image that can maintain unhealthy or obsessive eating habits. In the long-term, this model will aim to incorporate practices from CBT to be used as a therapeutic and self-reflective tool for young adults in a risk of eating disorders, as a compliment to working together with a professional cognitive behavioural therapist.   

Research team:

Josefin Rehn Hamrin, Master student in Medical Engineering, KTH
Natalia Slusarek, Master student in Interaction Design, KTH
Nils Tobias Forsberg, Master student in Computer Science, KTH
Razan Jaber, PhD student, Stockholm University
Beatrice Vincenci, Digital Futures Postdoctoral Fellow, KTH 
Arzu Guneysu, Lecturer, KTH
Sanna Kuoppamäki, Assistant Professor, KTH