Researchers in China asked 12 women with PCOS (a common hormone condition) about their experiences using online nutrition coaching through video calls. The women liked how convenient it was—they could do it from home on their own schedule. However, they felt the advice was too generic and didn’t account for their individual needs or emotions. They wanted more personalized guidance based on their specific symptoms, better communication with their nutritionists, and support for their mental health. This study shows that while telehealth nutrition is helpful, it needs to be more tailored to each person and include emotional support to truly work well.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: How women with PCOS feel about getting nutrition advice through video calls with dietitians instead of in-person visits
- Who participated: 12 adult women in Beijing, China, who all had PCOS and had been using online nutrition coaching for at least 3 months
- Key finding: Women appreciated the convenience and flexibility of online nutrition help, but felt the advice wasn’t personalized enough for their individual needs and didn’t address their emotional wellbeing
- What it means for you: If you have PCOS and use online nutrition services, your experience of feeling like advice is too generic is valid. Healthcare providers should work to make online nutrition coaching more personalized and include mental health support. This research suggests improvements are needed and possible.
The Research Details
Researchers conducted a qualitative descriptive study, which means they asked open-ended questions to understand people’s real-world experiences rather than testing a specific hypothesis. They recruited 12 women with PCOS who had been using telehealth nutrition services for at least 3 months. Between February and March 2025, they conducted individual video interviews via WeChat (a popular messaging app in China) that lasted 45-60 minutes each. The researchers recorded and transcribed all interviews word-for-word, then carefully analyzed the responses to identify common themes and patterns in what women experienced.
This type of study is valuable because it captures the actual lived experiences of patients in real-world settings, not just what happens in controlled research environments. The researchers used established methods to ensure their findings were trustworthy, including having two people independently review the data, keeping detailed notes about their analysis process, and asking participants to review their findings to make sure they were accurate.
Understanding what patients actually experience with telehealth services is crucial for improving them. This qualitative approach reveals not just whether something works, but why it works or doesn’t work from the patient’s perspective. These insights directly inform how healthcare providers and app developers can redesign services to better meet people’s needs.
This study has several strengths: the researchers used established qualitative research methods, enhanced trustworthiness through multiple quality checks, and conducted member checking (asking participants if the findings matched their experiences). However, the sample size is small (12 women) and limited to one location in China, so findings may not apply to all populations or healthcare systems. This is typical and appropriate for qualitative research, which prioritizes depth of understanding over large sample sizes.
What the Results Show
The study identified four main themes that capture women’s experiences with online nutrition coaching for PCOS:
Theme 1: “It fits my life” - Women strongly appreciated the convenience and accessibility of telehealth. They could schedule appointments around their work and family responsibilities, avoid travel time, and receive care from the privacy of their homes. This flexibility reduced both practical barriers (like transportation) and emotional barriers (like anxiety about visiting clinics).
Theme 2: “One size doesn’t fit me” - Despite appreciating convenience, women felt frustrated that the nutrition guidance was too standardized and didn’t account for their individual differences. PCOS affects people differently—some have insulin resistance, others have different menstrual cycle patterns—but the advice didn’t reflect these differences. Additionally, technical problems (app glitches, confusing logging systems) and slow responses from dietitians made it harder to stay engaged.
Theme 3: “I’m not just a diet” - Women emphasized that managing PCOS involves emotions and behavior, not just food choices. When dietitians provided timely, caring feedback, women felt more motivated and accountable. However, when responses were delayed or felt impersonal, women felt their emotional needs weren’t being met. Many wanted integrated mental health support alongside nutrition advice.
Theme 4: “Make it smarter and more human” - Women provided specific suggestions for improvement: using their lab results and body measurements to personalize advice, integrating tracking and feedback systems, having dietitians proactively check in with guaranteed response times, offering peer support options, and including brief lessons about behavior change and mental health.
The research revealed an important tension: women found telehealth nutrition highly acceptable and convenient, yet felt their complex needs weren’t being fully met. This suggests that convenience alone isn’t enough—the quality and personalization of the service matter significantly for long-term engagement and success. The emphasis on emotional and psychological support was particularly strong, indicating that PCOS management requires addressing mental health alongside physical health.
This study aligns with broader research showing that telehealth is convenient and acceptable to patients, but previous studies haven’t specifically explored what women with PCOS experience. The findings support existing evidence that personalization improves engagement with digital health tools and that mental health support is crucial for chronic condition management. The study adds new insight by showing that even well-intentioned telehealth services can feel impersonal if they don’t account for individual metabolic differences and emotional needs.
This study involved only 12 women in one city in China, so the findings may not apply to women in other countries with different healthcare systems or cultural contexts. The small sample size means we can’t generalize findings to all women with PCOS. Additionally, all participants had already engaged with telehealth for at least 3 months, so we don’t know about experiences of women who tried it and stopped. The study also relied on self-reported experiences, which can be influenced by memory and personal perspective. Finally, this research describes what women want but doesn’t test whether implementing these suggestions actually improves outcomes.
The Bottom Line
For women with PCOS using telehealth nutrition services: Your feedback about needing more personalized care and emotional support is valid and important. When choosing or evaluating an online nutrition service, look for providers who ask detailed questions about your individual symptoms, offer regular check-ins, and integrate mental health support. For healthcare providers: This research suggests that effective telehealth nutrition for PCOS should include personalized guidance based on individual metabolic data, proactive communication with guaranteed response times, integrated mental health screening and support, and improved user-friendly technology. Confidence level: These recommendations are based on qualitative research with a small sample, so they should be considered promising directions for improvement rather than definitive evidence.
This research is most relevant to women with PCOS who use or are considering telehealth nutrition services, healthcare providers offering these services, app developers creating health technology for PCOS management, and healthcare administrators designing telehealth programs. Women with other chronic conditions may also find these insights relevant, as many of the issues (need for personalization, mental health support, responsive communication) apply broadly to chronic disease management.
Based on this research, improvements to telehealth nutrition services would likely need 3-6 months to implement meaningfully. Women might notice benefits from better personalization and communication within weeks, but seeing improvements in health outcomes (like better blood sugar control or weight management) typically takes 2-3 months of consistent engagement with improved services.
Want to Apply This Research?
- Track three specific metrics: (1) How personalized your nutrition guidance feels on a scale of 1-10 after each interaction, (2) Response time from your dietitian in hours, and (3) Your emotional wellbeing related to PCOS management on a weekly basis. This data helps identify whether your current service is meeting the personalization and emotional support needs highlighted in this research.
- Use the app to request a personalized nutrition plan that specifically accounts for your individual PCOS symptoms (like insulin resistance or cycle-related changes) rather than accepting generic guidance. Additionally, ask your provider about integrating mental health check-ins or resources into your nutrition coaching, and set expectations for response times from your dietitian.
- Every month, review your app data to assess: (1) Whether your nutrition guidance has become more personalized based on your lab results and symptoms, (2) The average response time from your dietitian, (3) Your engagement level with the app (are you using it consistently?), and (4) Your emotional wellbeing and motivation. If these aren’t improving after 2-3 months, consider discussing changes with your provider or exploring different services that better meet these needs.
This research describes women’s experiences with telehealth nutrition services for PCOS and provides recommendations for improvement based on qualitative interviews with 12 women in China. These findings should not be considered medical advice. If you have PCOS, consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian to develop a nutrition plan tailored to your individual needs. This study was conducted in a specific healthcare setting and cultural context, so results may not apply to all populations or healthcare systems. Always seek professional medical guidance before making significant changes to your nutrition or health management plan.