P102 Identifying physical activity mobile applications for people with rheumatoid arthritis: a content analysis and quality appraisal

Abstract Background Physical activity and exercise (PA) are recommended for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although adherence to PA tends to be low. Accessible, tailored interventions are needed to help people with RA change their behaviour to achieve public health PA recommendations and improve health outcomes. Use of smartphones and mobile applications (apps) is increasing and apps may assist people to reach PA recommendations. However, the availability, quality and content of evidence-based PA apps for people with RA is unknown. This study assessed the features, content and quality of apps targeting PA for adults with RA by i) systematically identifying apps ii) summarising their features and content iii) comparing their content to physical activity and exercise guidelines and iv) rating app quality. Methods A systematic search of the UK Apple AppStore and Google Play store was conducted to identify apps designed to facilitate PA in adults with RA between 19th-20th June 2019. Apps were excluded if they were i) not in English ii) for use by clinicians only or ii) solely focused on advertising a clinic/product. No fee restrictions were applied. Android and iOS apps were downloaded to smartphones, features/functionality described, content coded using Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) and behaviour change technique taxonomy V1 (BCTTv1) and apps rated using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS range 0-5) by two independent reviewers. App features were compared with public health PA guidelines (150 minutes moderate PA/week or equivalent plus twice weekly resistance exercise) and American College of Sports Medicine recommendations for exercise prescription. Results Initially, 14,047 apps were identified. Following de-duplication, 2,737 apps were screened for eligibly and six apps were downloaded (two UK Apple AppStore, four Google Play store), yielding four unique apps. Only one app provided PA recommendations broadly aligned with public health PA guidelines and no apps aligned to ACSM exercise prescription guidelines or offered information on tailoring of PA to disease symptoms or health status. Apps included between 4-13 behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and three BCTs were common to all apps (demonstration of behaviour, instructions on how to perform behaviour, information about health consequences). Overall, MARS scores ranged between 2.25-4.17. Conclusion There is a lack of high-quality mobile apps which can be tailored to support PA for people with RA. Whilst all included apps incorporated some BCTs previously identified as effective for PA promotion, only one, high quality app provided PA recommendations which broadly aligned with public health PA guidelines but offered limited options for tailoring PA or exercise. Collaboration between adults with RA, clinicians, and app developers is needed to produce evidence informed apps, with embedded BCTs, which can be tailored to support people with RA achieve PA recommendations. Disclosures L. Bearne None. M. Sekhon None. R. Grainger None. A. La None. M. Shamali None. A. Amirova None. E. Godfrey None. C. White None.

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Smartphone Apps Targeting Physical Activity in People With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systematic Quality Appraisal and Content Analysis

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/18495 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. e18495 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lindsay M Bearne ◽

Mandeep Sekhon ◽

Rebecca Grainger ◽

Anthony La ◽

Mehrdad Shamali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Mobile App ◽

Information Support ◽

World Health ◽

Smartphone Apps ◽

High Quality ◽

App Store ◽

Google Play

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disabling, inflammatory joint condition affecting 0.5%-1% of the global population. Physical activity (PA) and exercise are recommended for people with RA, but uptake and adherence tend to be low. Smartphone apps could assist people with RA to achieve PA recommendations. However, it is not known whether high quality, evidence-informed PA apps that include behavior change techniques (BCTs) previously identified as effective for PA adherence are available for people with RA. Objective This study aims to systematically identify apps that include goals to facilitate PA for adults with RA and assess app quality and content for the inclusion of relevant BCTs against recommendations for cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor PA and exercise. Methods A systematic search of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the United Kingdom was conducted to identify English language apps that promote PA for adults with RA. Two researchers independently assessed app quality (mobile app rating scale [MARS]; range 0-5) and content (BCT Taxonomy version 1, World Health Organization, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the European League against Rheumatism recommendations for PA). The completeness of reporting of PA prescription was evaluated using a modified version of the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT; range 0-14). Results A total of 14,047 apps were identified. Following deduplication, 2737 apps were screened for eligibility; 6 apps were downloaded (2 on the Apple App Store and 4 on the Google Play Store), yielding 4 unique apps. App quality varied (MARS score 2.25-4.17). Only 1 app was congruent with all aspects of the PA recommendations. All apps completely or partially recommended flexibility and resistance exercises, 3 apps completely or partially advised some form of neuromotor exercise, but only 2 offered full or partial guidance on cardiorespiratory exercise. Completeness of exercise reporting was mixed (CERT scores 7-14 points) and 3-7 BCTs were identified. Two BCTs were common to all apps (information about health consequences and instruction on how to perform behavior). Higher quality apps included a greater number of BCTs and were more closely aligned to PA guidance. No published trials evaluating the effect of the included apps were identified. Conclusions This review identifies 4 PA apps of mixed quality and content for use by people with RA. Higher quality apps were more closely aligned to PA guidance and included a greater number of BCTs. One high-quality app (Rheumatoid Arthritis Information Support and Education) included 7 BCTs and was fully aligned with PA and exercise guidance. The effect of apps on PA adherence should be established before implementation.

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Smartphone Apps Targeting Physical Activity in People With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systematic Quality Appraisal and Content Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.18495 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lindsay M Bearne ◽

Mandeep Sekhon ◽

Rebecca Grainger ◽

Anthony La ◽

Mehrdad Shamali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Mobile App ◽

Information Support ◽

World Health ◽

Smartphone Apps ◽

High Quality ◽

App Store ◽

Google Play

BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disabling, inflammatory joint condition affecting 0.5%-1% of the global population. Physical activity (PA) and exercise are recommended for people with RA, but uptake and adherence tend to be low. Smartphone apps could assist people with RA to achieve PA recommendations. However, it is not known whether high quality, evidence-informed PA apps that include behavior change techniques (BCTs) previously identified as effective for PA adherence are available for people with RA. OBJECTIVE This study aims to systematically identify apps that include goals to facilitate PA for adults with RA and assess app quality and content for the inclusion of relevant BCTs against recommendations for cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility, and neuromotor PA and exercise. METHODS A systematic search of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the United Kingdom was conducted to identify English language apps that promote PA for adults with RA. Two researchers independently assessed app quality (mobile app rating scale [MARS]; range 0-5) and content (BCT Taxonomy version 1, World Health Organization, the American College of Sports Medicine, and the European League against Rheumatism recommendations for PA). The completeness of reporting of PA prescription was evaluated using a modified version of the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT; range 0-14). RESULTS A total of 14,047 apps were identified. Following deduplication, 2737 apps were screened for eligibility; 6 apps were downloaded (2 on the Apple App Store and 4 on the Google Play Store), yielding 4 unique apps. App quality varied (MARS score 2.25-4.17). Only 1 app was congruent with all aspects of the PA recommendations. All apps completely or partially recommended flexibility and resistance exercises, 3 apps completely or partially advised some form of neuromotor exercise, but only 2 offered full or partial guidance on cardiorespiratory exercise. Completeness of exercise reporting was mixed (CERT scores 7-14 points) and 3-7 BCTs were identified. Two BCTs were common to all apps (information about health consequences and instruction on how to perform behavior). Higher quality apps included a greater number of BCTs and were more closely aligned to PA guidance. No published trials evaluating the effect of the included apps were identified. CONCLUSIONS This review identifies 4 PA apps of mixed quality and content for use by people with RA. Higher quality apps were more closely aligned to PA guidance and included a greater number of BCTs. One high-quality app (Rheumatoid Arthritis Information Support and Education) included 7 BCTs and was fully aligned with PA and exercise guidance. The effect of apps on PA adherence should be established before implementation.

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Physical activity and exercise

Oxford Textbook of Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

10.1093/med/9780198831433.003.0024 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 285-296

Author(s):

Lindsay M. Bearne ◽

Christina H. Opava

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

Exercise Prescription ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Management Approach ◽

Physical Activity And Exercise ◽

Health Enhancing Physical Activity

This chapter provides an overview of the role of physical activity and exercise in the management of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It defines the concepts of physical activity, exercise, and sedentary behaviour and considers how these are measured objectively and subjectively in research studies and clinical practice. The symptoms and disabilities targeted by appropriately prescribed interventions are discussed and the growing evidence base for the effects of exercise in people with RA is highlighted. The recommendations and guidelines for health-enhancing physical activity and exercise prescription are reviewed and the factors that influence adherence to these are acknowledged. Suggestions of how clinicians may adapt their management approach to facilitate the uptake and maintenance of health-enhancing physical activity and exercise are considered.

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Mobile Applications for the Promotion and Support of Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Habits: A Systematic Review, Extraction of Features and Taxonomy Proposal

The Open Bioinformatics Journal ◽

10.2174/1875036201912010050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 50-71

Author(s):

María Vanessa Villasana ◽

Ivan Miguel Pires ◽

Juliana Sá ◽

Nuno M. Garcia ◽

Eftim Zdravevski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Anthropometric Parameters ◽

Healthy Nutrition ◽

Different Types ◽

Diet Diary ◽

Definition Of ◽

Future Work ◽

Google Play

Background: Mobile applications can be used for the monitoring of lifestyles and physical activity. It can be installed in commodity mobile devices, which are currently used by different types of people in their daily activities worlwide . Objective: This paper reviews and categorizes the mobile applications related to diet, nutrition, health, physical activity and education, showing the analysis of 73 mobile applications available on Google Play Store with the extraction of the different features. Methods: The mobile applications were analyzed in relation to each proposed category and their features, starting with the definition of the search keywords used in the Google Play Store. Each mobile application was installed on a smartphone, and validated whether it was researched in scientific studies. Finally, all mobile applications and features were categorized. Results: These mobile applications were clustered into four groups, including diet and nutrition, health, physical activity and education. The features of mobile applications were also categorized into six groups, including diet, anthropometric parameters, social, physical activity, medical parameters and vital parameters. The most available features of the mobile applications are weight, height, age, gender, goals, calories needed calculation, diet diary, food database with calories, calories burned and calorie intake. Conclusion: With this review, it was concluded that most mobile applications available in the market are related to diet, and they are important for different types of people. A promising idea for future work is to evaluate the acceptance by young people of such mobile applications.

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Mobile Applications for the Promotion and Support of Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity Habits: A Systematic Review, Extraction of Features and Taxonomy Proposal

The Open Bioinformatics Journal ◽

10.2174/1874196701907010050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 50-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

María Vanessa Villasana ◽

Ivan Miguel Pires ◽

Juliana Sá ◽

Nuno M. Garcia ◽

Eftim Zdravevski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Anthropometric Parameters ◽

Healthy Nutrition ◽

Different Types ◽

Diet Diary ◽

Definition Of ◽

Future Work ◽

Google Play

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Physical activity and exercise prescription: Senior physiotherapists' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs

Physiotherapy Practice and Research ◽

10.3233/ppr-2012-0001 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 71-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

N. Mohan ◽

E. Collins ◽

T. Cusack ◽

G. O'Donoghue

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Exercise Prescription ◽

Attitudes And Beliefs ◽

Physical Activity And Exercise

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Effects of Exercise on Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Narrative Review of the Evidence, Possible Biological Mechanisms, and Recommendations for Exercise Prescription

Journal of Aging Research ◽

10.1155/2020/1407896 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adria Quigley ◽

Marilyn MacKay-Lyons ◽

Gail Eskes

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Vascular Function ◽

Exercise Prescription ◽

Narrative Review ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Biological Mechanisms ◽

Cognitive Improvement ◽

Physical Activity And Exercise

Physical activity and exercise have emerged as potential methods to improve brain health among older adults. However, there are currently no physical activity guidelines aimed at improving cognitive function, and the mechanisms underlying these cognitive benefits are poorly understood. The purpose of this narrative review is to present the current evidence regarding the effects of physical activity and exercise on cognition in older adults without cognitive impairment, identify potential mechanisms underlying these effects, and make recommendations for exercise prescription to enhance cognitive performance. The review begins with a summary of evidence of the effect of chronic physical activity and exercise on cognition. Attention then turns to four main biological mechanisms that appear to underlie exercise-induced cognitive improvement, including the upregulation of growth factors and neuroplasticity, inhibition of inflammatory biomarker production, improved vascular function, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation. The last section provides an overview of exercise parameters known to optimize cognition in older adults, such as exercise type, frequency, intensity, session duration, and exercise program duration.

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A Sentiment-Statistical Approach for Identifying Problematic Mobile App Updates Based on User Reviews

Information ◽

10.3390/info11030152 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 152 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xiaozhou Li ◽

Boyang Zhang ◽

Zheying Zhang ◽

Kostas Stefanidis

Keyword(s):

Mobile Applications ◽

Statistical Approach ◽

Maintenance Phase ◽

Mobile App ◽

User Reviews ◽

Google Play

Mobile applications (apps) on IOS and Android devices are mostly maintained and updated via Apple Appstore and Google Play, respectively, where the users are allowed to provide reviews regarding their satisfaction towards particular apps. Despite the importance of user reviews towards mobile app maintenance and evolution, it is time-consuming and ineffective to dissect each individual negative review. In addition, due to the different app update strategies, it is uncertain that each update can be accepted well by the users. This study aims to provide an approach to detect the particular days during the mobile app maintenance phase when the negative reviews require developers’ attention. Furthermore, the method shall facilitate the mapping of the identified abnormal days towards the updates that result in such negativity in reviews. The method’s purpose is to enable app developers to respond swiftly to significant flaws reflected by user reviews in order to prevent user churns.

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