A picture of somebody sporting all three sensors: a necklace that data consuming behaviors; a wristband that tracks motion and exercise; a bodycam that’s the first patented Exercise-Oriented Digicam (AOC) that makes use of thermal sensing to set off recording solely when meals enters the digicam’s area of view. Credit score: HABits Lab, Northwestern College
What in case your sensible watch may sense whenever you’re about to raid the fridge, and gently steer you towards a more healthy alternative as a substitute?
Northwestern College scientists are bringing that imaginative and prescient nearer to actuality with a way of life medication program that makes use of three wearable sensors—a necklace, a wristband and a physique digicam—to seize real-world consuming habits in unprecedented element and with respect for privateness.
The research, “Unveiling overeating patterns within digital longitudinal data on eating behaviors and contexts,” was printed within the journal npj Digital Medication.
“Overeating is a major contributor to obesity, yet most treatments overlook the unconscious habits that drive it,” mentioned corresponding creator Nabil Alshurafa, affiliate professor of behavioral medication at Northwestern College Feinberg College of Medication and of laptop engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick College of Engineering.
In a brand new research, 60 adults with weight problems wore the three sensors and used a smartphone app to trace meal-related temper and context snapshots (i.e. who they’re with, what they’re doing) for 2 weeks. The research yielded hundreds of hours of video and sensor knowledge and revealed that overeating is way from one-size-fits-all. As a substitute, it falls into 5 distinct patterns:
Take-out feasting: Gorging on supply and take-out meals
Night restaurant reveling: Social dinners resulting in extra meals consumption
Night craving: Late-night snack compulsion
Uncontrolled pleasure consuming: Spontaneous, joyful binges
Stress-driven night nibbling: Anxiousness-fueled grazing
“These patterns reflect the complex dance between environment, emotion and habit,” Alshurafa mentioned. “What’s amazing is now we have a roadmap for personalized interventions.”
The findings lay the groundwork for a brand new diagnostic period wherein scientists profile people into one of many 5 patterns and deploy tailor-made interventions. Alshurafa’s staff is already working with clinicians to pilot trials of personalised behavior-change applications based mostly on these findings, he mentioned.
“What struck me most was how overeating isn’t just about willpower,” mentioned lead creator Farzad Shahabi, a Ph.D. pupil in Alshurafa’s lab.
“Utilizing passive sensing, we have been capable of uncover hidden consumption patterns in folks’s real-world habits which are emotional, behavioral and contextual. Seeing the patterns emerge from the info felt like turning on a light-weight in a room we have all been stumbling by way of for many years.
“Our long-term vision is to move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and toward a world in which health technology feels less like a prescription and more like a partnership.”
A bodycam with a respect for privateness
Through the early days of this analysis, Alshurafa requested Northwestern’s police division to mortgage him a police bodycam to see how he may design a digicam that captures consuming habits in the true world. He programmed the digicam to solely document the wearer’s food-related actions to protect bystander privateness.
Known as HabitSense, the bodycam is the primary patented Exercise-Oriented Digicam (AOC) that makes use of thermal sensing to set off recording solely when meals enters the digicam’s area of view. Not like selfish cameras, which seize a scene from the attitude of the wearer, or broad surveillance, AOCs document exercise, not the scene, which reduces privateness considerations whereas capturing crucial knowledge.
An explainer video describing how Necksense data consuming behaviors. Credit score: Northwestern College
A necklace that data consuming behaviors
Along with HabitSense and a wrist-worn exercise tracker much like a FitBit or Apple Watch, research individuals wore a necklace designed by Alshurafa and his staff referred to as NeckSense. It’s the first know-how to exactly and passively document a number of consuming behaviors, detecting in the true world when individuals are consuming, together with how briskly they chew, what number of bites they take and what number of occasions their arms transfer to their mouths.
Analysis pushed by private struggles with weight
Alshurafa’s struggles together with his personal weight, fluctuating 40 to 50 kilos most of his youthful life, sparked his scientific give attention to weight administration. He struggled with totally different diets and received caught in a cycle of late-night binge consuming whereas watching TV.
“I tried to turn my personal struggle into a scientific mission that promises to reshape obesity treatment,” Alshurafa mentioned.
“By merging computer science, behavioral medicine and a dash of Jane Goodall–style curiosity, we’re working to lead the way toward truly personalized, habit-based health care. This study marks only the beginning of a journey toward smarter and more compassionate interventions for millions grappling with overeating.”
Different Northwestern authors embrace Boyang Wei, Chris Romano, Rowan McCloskey, Annie Lin, Mahdi Pedram, Jake Schauer and Tammy Stump.
Extra data:
Unveiling overeating patterns inside digital longitudinal knowledge on consuming behaviors and contexts, npj Digital Medication (2025). www.nature.com/articles/s41746-025-01698-9
Offered by
Northwestern College
Quotation:
Customized weight problems care: Wearable sensors determine 5 overeating varieties for tailor-made interventions (2025, September 17)
retrieved 17 September 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-09-personalized-obesity-wearable-sensors-overeating.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Aside from any truthful dealing for the aim of personal research or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is supplied for data functions solely.
