Review of the Use of Digital Therapeutics for Obesity Treatment: Toward a Psychological Phenotyping

Digital therapeutics (DTx) offer an innovative opportunity for the prevention and treatment of obesity. However, their efficacy remains limited by a standardized approach that often does not adequately consider interindividual differences in eating behavior, motivation, mental comorbidities, and emotional regulation. Currently, many DTx rely primarily on physical indicators such as body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure, overlooking psychological factors that influence adherence and intervention success. Given that obesity is a multifactorial pathology, it is crucial to develop a more personalized approach, including psychological phenotyping. This method involves the categorization of patients according to key psychological dimensions: personality, eating behavior, psychological burden, emotional regulation, motivation, health literacy, body image, and social support. Such classification may enable optimization of DTx relevance and clinical impact, contingent on algorithm validation and integration with clinical oversight. This narrative review explores the psychological dimensions involved in obesity and how they may be used to inform personalization strategies in DTx. Through an analysis of existing studies, we identify underexplored psychological dimensions and suggest the integration in DTx to enhance patient assessment and monitoring. Finally, we discuss the clinical and methodological implications of psychological phenotyping, highlighting its value for healthcare professionals, who could achieve greater efficiency through better-tailored recommendations and optimizing patient care.