scholarly journals Associations between Behaviour Change Techniques and engagement with mobile health apps: Systematic review protocol (Preprint)

10.2196/35172 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Milne-Ives ◽  
Sophie Homer ◽  
Jackie Andrade ◽  
Edward Meinert
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Systematic Review Protocol ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Review Protocol

Associations between Behaviour Change Techniques and engagement with mobile health apps: Systematic review protocol (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison Milne-Ives ◽  
Sophie Homer ◽  
Jackie Andrade ◽  
Edward Meinert
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Systematic Review Protocol ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Health Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Review Protocol

BACKGROUND The use of digitally-enabled care and the emphasis on self-management of health is growing. Mobile health apps provide a promising means of supporting health behaviour change; however, engagement with them is often poor and evidence of their impact on health outcomes is lacking. As engagement is a key prerequisite to health behaviour change, it is essential to understand how engagement with mobile health apps and their target health behaviours can be better supported. Despite an increasing recognition of the importance of engagement in the literature, there is still a lack of understanding of how different components of engagement are associated with specific techniques that aim to change behaviours. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this systematic review protocol is to provide a synthesis of the associations between various Behaviour Change Techniques (BCTs)and the different components of engagement (and their outcome measures) with mobile health apps. METHODS The review protocol was structured using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) and the Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) frameworks. Six databases will be systematically searched: PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), APA PsycInfo, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction will be conducted by two independent reviewers. Data will be extracted into a predetermined form, and any disagreements in screening or data extraction will be discussed, with a third reviewer consulted if consensus cannot be reached. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and ROBINS-I tools and descriptive and thematic analyses will be used to summarise the relationships between BCTs and the different components of engagement. RESULTS The systematic review has not been started. It is expected to be completed and submitted for publication by January 2022. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review will summarize the associations between different BCTs and various components and measures of engagement with mobile health apps. This will identify areas where further research is needed to examine BCTs that could potentially support effective engagement and help to inform the design and evaluation of future mobile health apps. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO (reference number TBD)

Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: A systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona H McKay ◽  
Christina Cheng ◽  
Annemarie Wright ◽  
Jane Shill ◽  
Hugh Stephens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Health Behaviour ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Health Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Introduction Increasing smartphones access has allowed for increasing development and use of smart phone applications (apps). Mobile health interventions have previously relied on voice or text-based short message services (SMS), however, the increasing availability and ease of use of apps has allowed for significant growth of smartphone apps that can be used for health behaviour change. This review considers the current body of knowledge relating to the evaluation of apps for health behaviour change. The aim of this review is to investigate approaches to the evaluation of health apps to identify any current best practice approaches. Method A systematic review was conducted. Data were collected and analysed in September 2016. Thirty-eight articles were identified and have been included in this review. Results Articles were published between 2011– 2016, and 36 were reviews or evaluations of apps related to one or more health conditions, the remaining two reported on an investigation of the usability of health apps. Studies investigated apps relating to the following areas: alcohol, asthma, breastfeeding, cancer, depression, diabetes, general health and fitness, headaches, heart disease, HIV, hypertension, iron deficiency/anaemia, low vision, mindfulness, obesity, pain, physical activity, smoking, weight management and women’s health. Conclusion In order to harness the potential of mobile health apps for behaviour change and health, we need better ways to assess the quality and effectiveness of apps. This review is unable to suggest a single best practice approach to evaluate mobile health apps. Few measures identified in this review included sufficient information or evaluation, leading to potentially incomplete and inaccurate information for consumers seeking the best app for their situation. This is further complicated by a lack of regulation in health promotion generally.

scholarly journals Mobile health apps: An exploration of user-generated reviews in Google Play Store on a physical activity application

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205520762110149
Author(s):  
Miznah Al-Abbadey ◽  
Megan M-W Fong ◽  
Laura J Wilde ◽  
Roger Ingham ◽  
Daniela Ghio
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Specific Behaviour ◽  
Social Features ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Objective This study aimed to evaluate reviews that have been posted publicly on the app ‘MapMyRun’ to investigate which features were associated with usage of the app. A secondary aim was to determine whether MapMyRun consisted of specific behaviour change techniques that would have increased the likelihood of users being engaged with the app. Methods Reviews posted on MapMyRun by users between 1st May 2017- 30th April 2018 were extracted, coded and analysed using content analysis. Results Eleven behaviour change techniques were identified among the features of MapMyRun. A total of 3,253 reviews met the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and 12 codes were developed. The codes were grouped into 8 subthemes within 2 main themes: ‘Effort’ and ‘Self-monitoring’. Consistent with previous literature, ‘Goal-Setting’ and ‘Self-Monitoring of Behaviour’ were two techniques included in MapMyRun. Social features of MapMyRun facilitated competition among users, their family, and friends. Conclusions This was the first qualitative review to assess a single mobile health physical activity app and analyse it from the perspectives of the users. Creators of future mobile health apps should focus on user friendliness and the use of social features, as both may increase the chances of users’ continued use with the app.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment Criteria for Mobile Health Apps: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 745-759
Author(s):  
Wilasinee HONGSANUN ◽  
Suppachai INSUK
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Mobile Health Apps

Summative evidences on the criteria for user assessment of health apps are still limited. In order to determine an assessment method for mobile health apps, rigorous and appropriate criteria must be chosen. The aim of this study is to review the existing quality assessment criteria that are being used to assess the quality of mobile health apps focusing on users’ perspectives. In addition, a procedure for the quality assessment of health apps is also presented. A systematic review was conducted utilizing 5 databases; PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, CENTRAL and IEEE Xplore from 2008 to 2017. Search terms were; “mHealth”, “Applications”, “iOS OR Android”, “smartphones”, “quality”, etc. Papers that assessed the quality of health apps by users were selected. The PRISMA guideline was followed to complete the list of final studies. Likewise, a data extraction form was based on the PICO framework. From 6,514 studies, 69 studies met the eligibility criteria. Four hundred and forty-one quality assessment criteria for users were classified into 15 domains: Ease of use, Usability, Aesthetics, Connectivity, Functionality, Information, User satisfaction, Acceptability, Error occurrence, Motivation, Engagement, Data management, Undesirable events, Credentials and Security and privacy. An “ease of use” domain was found common in the included studies. The 15 domains were suggested as criteria for further study of the quality assessment and development of mHealth apps. Moreover, five recommended steps were presented for future research of quality of mobile health apps.

Standards for mobile health-related apps (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Miró ◽  
Pere Llorens-Vernet
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Health Apps ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Mobile Health Apps ◽  
Specific Regulation

BACKGROUND In recent years, the considerable increase in the number of mobile health apps has made healthcare more accessible and affordable for all. However, the exponential growth in mHealth solutions has occurred with almost no control or regulation of any kind. Despite some recent initiatives, there is still no specific regulation procedure, accreditation system or standards to help the development of the apps, mitigate risks or guarantee quality. OBJECTIVE The main aim of this study is to provide a set of standards for mobile health-related apps on the basis of what is available from guidelines, frameworks, and standards in the field of health app development. METHODS To identify the most important criteria, we used three strategies. First, we conducted a systematic review of all the studies published on health-related apps. Second, we searched for health-app recommendations on the websites of professional organizations. Finally, we looked for standards governing the development of software for medical devices on the specialized webs of regulatory organizations. Then, we compiled the criteria we had identified and determined which of them could be regarded as essential, recommendable or desirable. RESULTS We identified a total of 168 criteria from the systematic review, 282 criteria from published guidelines, and 53 criteria from the standards of medical devices. These criteria were then grouped and subsumed under 8 categories, which included 36 important criteria for health apps. Of these 7 were considered to be essential, 18 recommendable, and 11 desirable. The more essential criteria an mHealth application has, the greater its quality. CONCLUSIONS This set of standards can be easily used by health care providers, developers, patients and other stakeholders, both to guide the development of mHealth related apps and to measure the quality of an mHealth app.

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