Mobile Applications for Health Management of Older Adults: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Currently, the use of smartphones to deliver health-related content has experienced a rapid growth, with more than 165,000 mobile health (mHealth) applications currently available in the digital marketplace such as iOS store and Google Play. Among these, there are several mobile applications (mobile apps) that offer tools for disease prevention and management among older generations. These mobile apps could potentially promote health behaviors which will reduce or delay the onset of disease. However, no review to date that has focused on the app marketplace specific for older adults and little is known regarding its evidence-based quality towards the health of older adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review was to characterize and critically appraise the content and functionality of mobile apps that focuses on health management and/or healthy lifestyle among older adults. METHODS An electronic search was conducted between May 2019 to December 2019 of the official app store for two major smartphone operating systems: iPhone operating system (iTunes App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). Stores were searched separately using predetermined search terms. Two authors screened apps based on information provided in the app description. Metadata from all included apps were abstracted into a standard assessment criteria form. Evidenced based strategies and health care expert involvement of included apps was assessed. Evidenced based strategies included: self-monitoring, goal setting, physical activity support, healthy eating support, weight and/or health assessment, personalized feedback, motivational strategies, cognitive training and social support. Two authors verified the data with reference to the apps and downloaded app themselves. RESULTS A total of 16 apps met the inclusion criteria. Six out of 16 (37.5%) apps were designed exclusively for the iOS platform while ten out of 16 (62.5%) were designed for Android platform exclusively. Physical activity component was the most common feature offered in all the apps (9/16, 56.3%) and followed by cognitive training (8/16, 50.0%). Diet/nutrition (0/16, 0%) feature, however, was not offered on all reviewed mobile apps. Of reviewed apps, 56.3% (9/16) provide education, 37.5% (6/16) provide self-monitoring features, 18.8% (3/16) provide goal setting features, 18.5% (3/16) provide personalized feedback, 6.3% (1/16) provide social support and none of the reviewed apps offers heart rate monitoring and reminder features to the users. CONCLUSIONS All reviewed mobile apps for older adults in managing health did not focused on diet/nutrition component, lack of functional components and lack of health care professional involvement in their development process. There is also a need to carry out scientific testing prior to the development of the app to ensure cost effective and its health benefits to older adults. Collaborative efforts between developers, researchers, health professionals and patients are needed in developing evidence-based, high quality mobile apps in managing health prior they are made available in the app store.

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Mobile Applications for Allergic Rhinitis

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/0003489418798385 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 127 (11) ◽

pp. 836-840 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Albert H. Zhou ◽

Varesh R. Patel ◽

Soly Baredes ◽

Jean Anderson Eloy ◽

Wayne D. Hsueh

Keyword(s):

Allergic Rhinitis ◽

Operating Systems ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Mobile App ◽

App Store ◽

Search Terms ◽

Pollen Forecast ◽

Google Play

Objective: To study and review the currently available mobile applications relating to allergic rhinitis. Methods: The Apple and Google mobile app stores were queried with search terms relating to allergic rhinitis. Apps were assigned to categories and analyzed based on description and characteristics such as popularity, reviews, cost, platform, and physician involvement in development. Results: A total of 72 apps related to allergic rhinitis were identified. Fifty-four apps were unique, with 18 apps found on both operating systems. Forty (55.5%) apps were available in the Apple App store, and 32 (44.4%) apps were available in the Google Play app store. They were grouped into the following categories: patient education (18; 25%), journals (15; 20.8%), symptom tracking (14; 19.4%), clinical/private practice (13; 18.1%), pollen forecast (7; 9.7%), medical education (4; 5.6%), and other (1; 1.4%). The majority of apps were free of charge (67; 93.1%), with paid apps ranging from $1.47 to $4.99. Apps that were reviewed had an average rating of 3.9 out of 5. Physicians were involved in the development of 37 (51.4%) apps. Conclusions: The collection of mobile apps developed for allergic rhinitis includes those for both educational and clinical use. Mobile apps may have an increasing role in otolaryngic allergy and rhinology practices in the future. Thus, continued research is warranted to determine the best way to ensure the accuracy and quality of app content as well as the extent mobile apps can benefit allergic rhinitis patients.

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Mobile Health Apps for Medical Emergencies: Systematic Review

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/18513 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. e18513

Author(s):

Alejandro Plaza Roncero ◽

Gonçalo Marques ◽

Beatriz Sainz-De-Abajo ◽

Francisco Martín-Rodríguez ◽

Carlos del Pozo Vegas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Current Status ◽

Health Technologies ◽

Health Apps ◽

App Store ◽

Mobile Health Apps ◽

Medical Emergencies ◽

Google Play

Background Mobile health apps are used to improve the quality of health care. These apps are changing the current scenario in health care, and their numbers are increasing. Objective We wanted to perform an analysis of the current status of mobile health technologies and apps for medical emergencies. We aimed to synthesize the existing body of knowledge to provide relevant insights for this topic. Moreover, we wanted to identify common threads and gaps to support new challenging, interesting, and relevant research directions. Methods We reviewed the main relevant papers and apps available in the literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used in this review. The search criteria were adopted using systematic methods to select papers and apps. On one hand, a bibliographic review was carried out in different search databases to collect papers related to each application in the health emergency field using defined criteria. On the other hand, a review of mobile apps in two virtual storage platforms (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) was carried out. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store are related to the Android and iOS operating systems, respectively. Results In the literature review, 28 papers in the field of medical emergency were included. These studies were collected and selected according to established criteria. Moreover, we proposed a taxonomy using six groups of applications. In total, 324 mobile apps were found, with 192 identified in the Google Play Store and 132 identified in the Apple App Store. Conclusions We found that all apps in the Google Play Store were free, and 73 apps in the Apple App Store were paid, with the price ranging from US $0.89 to US $5.99. Moreover, 39% (11/28) of the included studies were related to warning systems for emergency services and 21% (6/28) were associated with disaster management apps.

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Social Media in Accelerating Mobile Apps

Cognitive Analytics ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-2460-2.ch077 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1513-1526

Author(s):

Asta Bäck ◽

Päivi Jaring

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Longitudinal Analysis ◽

Mobile Application ◽

Media Use ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Social Media Use ◽

App Store ◽

Data Points ◽

Google Play

Mobile application stores have become very popular, and the two most popular, Google Play and Apple App Store, both have over a million applications (apps) available. Social media is extensively used for marketing products and services; but, its true potential, in service and product acceleration, has not been researched much. This paper studies the differences in actions between successful and less successful app developers and especially their social media use in accelerating applications and its impact on success. In this study, a longitudinal analysis is performed on 682 applications, from four Google Play categories, at three data points. This study concludes that almost 50% of the analyzed applications use some form of social media to promote their app, and that successful apps use social media more actively than less successful ones. The qualitative analysis of the apps sheds some light as to why some apps succeed without social media use, and why some fail while using it.

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Vaping-Related Mobile Apps Available in the Google Play Store After the Apple Ban: Content Review

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/20009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. e20009

Author(s):

Meredith C Meacham ◽

Erin A Vogel ◽

Johannes Thrul

Keyword(s):

Rating Scale ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Mobile App ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

App Store ◽

Quit Smoking ◽

Quitting Smoking ◽

Do It Yourself ◽

Content Review ◽

Google Play

Background In response to health concerns about vaping devices (eg, youth nicotine use, lung injury), Apple removed 181 previously approved vaping-related apps from the App Store in November 2019. This policy change may lessen youth exposure to content that glamorizes vaping; however, it may also block important sources of information and vaping device control for adults seeking to use vaping devices safely. Objective Understanding the types of nicotine and cannabis vaping–related apps still available in the competing Google Play Store can shed light on how digital apps may reflect information available to consumers. Methods In December 2019, we searched the Google Play Store for vaping-related apps using the keywords "vape" and "vaping" and reviewed the first 100 apps presented in the results. We reviewed app titles, descriptions, screenshots, and metadata to categorize the intended substance (nicotine or cannabis/tetrahydrocannabinol) and the app’s purpose. The most installed apps in each purpose category were downloaded and evaluated for quality and usability with the Mobile App Rating Scale. Results Of the first 100 apps, 79 were related to vaping. Of these 79 apps, 43 (54%) were specific to nicotine, 3 (4%) were specific to cannabis, 1 (1%) was intended for either, and for the remaining 31 (39%), the intended substance was unclear. The most common purposes of the apps were making do-it-yourself e-liquids (28/79, 35%) or coils (25/79, 32%), games/entertainment (19/79, 24%), social networking (16/79, 20%), and shopping for vaping products (15/79, 19%). Of the 79 apps, at least 4 apps (5%) paired with vaping devices to control temperature or dose settings, 8 apps (10%) claimed to help people quit smoking using vaping, and 2 apps (3%) had the goal of helping people quit vaping. Conclusions The majority of vaping-related apps in the Google Play Store had features either to help users continue vaping, such as information for modifying devices, or to maintain interest in vaping. Few apps were for controlling device settings or assisting with quitting smoking or vaping. Assuming that these Google Play Store apps were similar in content to the Apple App Store apps that were removed, it appears that Apple’s ban would have a minimal effect on people who vape with the intention of quitting smoking or who are seeking information about safer vaping via mobile apps.

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Mobile Apps to Fight the COVID-19 Crisis

Data ◽

10.3390/data6100106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Chrisa Tsinaraki ◽

Irena Mitton ◽

Marco Minghini ◽

Marina Micheli ◽

Alexander Kotsev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Digital Media ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Mobile App ◽

Digital Tools ◽

Qualitative Information ◽

Complementary Information ◽

Manual Analysis ◽

Status Information ◽

Google Play

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a multi-faceted global crisis, which triggered the diverse and quickly emerging use of old and new digital tools. We have developed a multi-channel approach for the monitoring and analysis of a subset of such tools, the COVID-19 related mobile applications (apps). Our approach builds on the information available in the two most prominent app stores (i.e., Google Play for Android-powered devices and Apple’s App Store for iOS-powered devices), as well as on relevant tweets and digital media outlets. The dataset presented here is one of the outcomes of this approach, uses the content of the app stores and enriches it, providing aggregated information about 837 mobile apps published across the world to fight the COVID-19 crisis. This information includes: (a) information available in the mobile app stores between 20 April 2020 and 2 August 2020; (b) complementary information obtained from manual analysis performed until mid-September 2020; and (c) status information about app availability on 28 February 2021, when we last collected data from the mobile app stores. We highlight our findings with a series of descriptives, which depict both the activities in the app stores and the qualitative information that was revealed by the manual analysis.

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Mobile-Assisted Pronunciation Training: The Google Play Pronunciation and Phonetics Application

Script Journal Journal of Linguistic and English Teaching ◽

10.24903/sj.v5i2.487 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 70-88

Author(s):

Fitria Meisarah

Keyword(s):

Mobile Applications ◽

Mobile Application ◽

Video Camera ◽

App Store ◽

Suprasegmental Features ◽

English Pronunciation ◽

Android App ◽

The University ◽

Google Play

Background: Several obstacles to pronunciation have been proposed and urged students to practice pronunciation deliberately. Regardless of these problematic, mobile applications can be a great assistant in pronunciation training. However, considering that Google Play is the most prominent android app store with 227,970 instructional devices, it is challenging to find and select pronunciation and phonetics applications. Students should be conscious of their needs by recognizing the proper mobile application for pronunciation learning. This study explores the pronunciation applications utilized by students for pronunciation learning in and out of the classroom. Methodology: This study administered the data with paper reports and interviews accompanying students. This study involved 41 students who were taking a pronunciation and phonetics course at the University of Kutai Kartanegara Tenggarong. Findings: Nine such applications, as reviewed in this study, are divided into two categories: English pronunciation special purpose (EPSP) application and English dictionary assisted pronunciation (EDAP) application. Noteworthy findings were not all of the applications fulfill the content and design approaches such the suprasegmental features, audio playback, and video camera recorder. Conclusion: This study endeavors to have a critical look at four applications recommended after concerning the term of Mobile Assisted Pronunciation Training (MAPT). They are AV Phonetic, English Phonetic Pronunciation, Listening Practice, English Pronunciation developed by Kepham, and U-Dictionary to assist pronunciation learning in and out of the classroom. Keywords: Pronunciation and phonetics; mobile application; MAPT

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A Research on Strategy Selling in Mobile Applications (With Special Reference to Instructional Applications)

International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering - Special Issue ◽

10.35940/ijitee.l1130.10812s19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (12S) ◽

pp. 522-524

Keyword(s):

Special Reference ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Building Block ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Scarce Resources ◽

Digital World ◽

Area Unit ◽

A Company ◽

Google Play

The selling strategy may be a arrange developed for achieving the selling objectives of the organization. It provides a layout for attaining their selling objectives simply. The strategy is that the building block of a selling arrange. A selling strategy helps a company to arrange their scarce resources on the most effective opportunities so that they will increase their sales. Meantime mobile applications play an important role during this digital world. They increase the users by adapting the selling methods to extend their main objective (profit). During this study the training mobile apps area unit taken, to search out however these app developers area unit victimisation the MS to boost their business and increasing the numbers of users for these mobile apps. These applications area unit offered in google play store, apple store, black berry store to transfer the applications in their mobile. This study reveals that the developers victimisation totally different strategy to sustain their applications within the market

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Technology, Privacy, and User Opinions of COVID-19 Mobile Apps for Contact Tracing: Systematic Search and Content Analysis

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/23467 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. e23467

Author(s):

Mahmoud Elkhodr ◽

Omar Mubin ◽

Zainab Iftikhar ◽

Maleeha Masood ◽

Belal Alsinglawi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Personal Information ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

The United States ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Policy Makers ◽

App Store ◽

Technical Issues ◽

Google Play ◽

Privacy Issues

Background Many countries across the globe have released their own COVID-19 contact tracing apps. This has resulted in the proliferation of several apps that used a variety of technologies. With the absence of a standardized approach used by the authorities, policy makers, and developers, many of these apps were unique. Therefore, they varied by function and the underlying technology used for contact tracing and infection reporting. Objective The goal of this study was to analyze most of the COVID-19 contact tracing apps in use today. Beyond investigating the privacy features, design, and implications of these apps, this research examined the underlying technologies used in contact tracing apps. It also attempted to provide some insights into their level of penetration and to gauge their public reception. This research also investigated the data collection, reporting, retention, and destruction procedures used by each of the apps under review. Methods This research study evaluated 13 apps corresponding to 10 countries based on the underlying technology used. The inclusion criteria ensured that most COVID-19-declared epicenters (ie, countries) were included in the sample, such as Italy. The evaluated apps also included countries that did relatively well in controlling the outbreak of COVID-19, such as Singapore. Informational and unofficial contact tracing apps were excluded from this study. A total of 30,000 reviews corresponding to the 13 apps were scraped from app store webpages and analyzed. Results This study identified seven distinct technologies used by COVID-19 tracing apps and 13 distinct apps. The United States was reported to have released the most contact tracing apps, followed by Italy. Bluetooth was the most frequently used underlying technology, employed by seven apps, whereas three apps used GPS. The Norwegian, Singaporean, Georgian, and New Zealand apps were among those that collected the most personal information from users, whereas some apps, such as the Swiss app and the Italian (Immuni) app, did not collect any user information. The observed minimum amount of time implemented for most of the apps with regard to data destruction was 14 days, while the Georgian app retained records for 3 years. No significant battery drainage issue was reported for most of the apps. Interestingly, only about 2% of the reviewers expressed concerns about their privacy across all apps. The number and frequency of technical issues reported on the Apple App Store were significantly more than those reported on Google Play; the highest was with the New Zealand app, with 27% of the reviewers reporting technical difficulties (ie, 10% out of 27% scraped reviews reported that the app did not work). The Norwegian, Swiss, and US (PathCheck) apps had the least reported technical issues, sitting at just below 10%. In terms of usability, many apps, such as those from Singapore, Australia, and Switzerland, did not provide the users with an option to sign out from their apps. Conclusions This article highlighted the fact that COVID-19 contact tracing apps are still facing many obstacles toward their widespread and public acceptance. The main challenges are related to the technical, usability, and privacy issues or to the requirements reported by some users.

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Mobile Health Apps on COVID-19 Launched in the Early Days of the Pandemic: Content Analysis and Review

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/19796 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. e19796 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Long Chiau Ming ◽

Noorazrina Untong ◽

Nur Amalina Aliudin ◽

Norliza Osili ◽

Nurolaini Kifli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Home Monitoring ◽

Mobile App ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Self Monitoring ◽

App Store ◽

Online Consultation ◽

Basic Features

Background Mobile health (mHealth) app use is a major concern because of the possible dissemination of misinformation that could harm the users. Particularly, it can be difficult for health care professionals to recommend a suitable app for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) education and self-monitoring purposes. Objective This study aims to analyze and evaluate the contents as well as features of COVID-19 mobile apps. The findings are instrumental in helping health care professionals to identify suitable mobile apps for COVID-19 self-monitoring and education. The results of the mobile apps’ assessment could potentially help mobile app developers improve or modify their existing mobile app designs to achieve optimal outcomes. Methods The search for the mHealth apps available in the android-based Play Store and the iOS-based App Store was conducted between April 18 and May 5, 2020. The region of the App Store where we performed the search was the United States, and a virtual private network app was used to locate and access COVID-19 mobile apps from all countries on the Google Play Store. The inclusion criteria were apps that are related to COVID-19 with no restriction in language type. The basic features assessment criteria used for comparison were the requirement for free subscription, internet connection, education or advisory content, size of the app, ability to export data, and automated data entry. The functionality of the apps was assessed according to knowledge (information on COVID-19), tracing or mapping of COVID-19 cases, home monitoring surveillance, online consultation with a health authority, and official apps run by health authorities. Results Of the 223 COVID-19–related mobile apps, only 30 (19.9%) found in the App Store and 28 (44.4%) in the Play Store matched the inclusion criteria. In the basic features assessment, most App Store (10/30, 33.3%) and Play Store (10/28, 35.7%) apps scored 4 out of 7 points. Meanwhile, the outcome of the functionality assessment for most App Store apps (13/30, 43.3%) was a score of 3 compared to android-based apps (10/28, 35.7%), which scored 2 (out of the maximum 5 points). Evaluation of the basic functions showed that 75.0% (n=36) of the 48 included mobile apps do not require a subscription, 56.3% (n=27) provide symptom advice, and 41.7% (n=20) have educational content. In terms of the specific functions, more than half of the included mobile apps are official mobile apps maintained by a health authority for COVID-19 information provision. Around 37.5% (n=18) and 31.3% (n=15) of the mobile apps have tracing or mapping and home monitoring surveillance functions, respectively, with only 17% (n=8) of the mobile apps equipped with an online consultation function. Conclusions Most iOS-based apps incorporate infographic mapping of COVID-19 cases, while most android-based apps incorporate home monitoring surveillance features instead of providing focused educational content on COVID-19. It is important to evaluate the contents and features of COVID-19 mobile apps to guide users in choosing a suitable mobile app based on their requirements.

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Speaking for “Free”: Word of Mouth in Free- and Paid-Product Settings

Journal of Marketing Research ◽

10.1177/0022243718821957 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 276-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Samuel D. Bond ◽

Stephen X. He ◽

Wen Wen

Keyword(s):

Theoretical Model ◽

Free Product ◽

Word Of Mouth ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Controlled Experiments ◽

Free Products ◽

Retrospective Survey ◽

App Store ◽

Google Play ◽

Free Word

This research examines drivers of consumer word of mouth (WOM) in free-product settings, revealing fundamental differences with traditional, paid-product settings. The authors build and investigate a theoretical model that highlights two unique characteristics of free products (reciprocity motivation and diminished adoption risk) and considers their implications for WOM sharing. Results of a retrospective survey, two controlled experiments, and an analysis of more than 5,000 mobile apps at Google Play and Apple’s App Store reveal that consumers are generally more likely to share their opinions of free products than paid products, because of feelings of reciprocity toward the producer. However, this difference is reduced when prior consumer WOM is low in volume and highly disperse, signaling greater adoption risk. These findings contribute to nascent understanding of free-product marketing while offering new insights for catalyzing consumer WOM.

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