Moderating effects of app type on the intention of continued use of mobile apps among college students

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Peng ◽  
Shupei Yuan ◽  
Wenjuan Ma
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Continued Use

The Association Among Social Support, Self-Efficacy, Use of Mobile Apps, and Physical Activity: Structural Equation Models With Mediating Effects (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taotao Wang ◽  
Mengyuan Ren ◽  
Ying Shen ◽  
Xiaorou Zhu ◽  
Xing Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Support ◽  
College Students ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Support Level ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

BACKGROUND Physical inactivity is a risk factor for chronic noncommunicable diseases. Insufficient physical activity has become an important public health problem worldwide. As mobile apps have rapidly developed, physical activity apps have the potential to improve the level of physical activity among populations. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the effect of physical activity apps on levels of physical activity among college students. METHODS A Web-based questionnaire was used to survey college students in Beijing from December 27, 2017, to January 5, 2018. According to a previous survey, 43% of college students using physical activity apps and 36% of those who never used such apps achieved the physical activity recommendations. In this study, the sample size was calculated to be 500. The questionnaire consisted of 5 parts: the use of physical activity apps, sports habits, social support, self-efficacy, and social demographic information. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships between the use of physical activity apps, self-efficacy, social support, and level of physical activity. RESULTS Of the 1245 participants, 384 college students (30.8%) used physical activity apps (in the past month). Of these 384 students, 191 (49.7%) gained new friends via the app. College students who were using physical activity apps had a higher level of physical activity and higher scores for social support and self-efficacy (<italic>P</italic>&lt;.001) than those who did not use such apps. The use of physical activity apps significantly affected the mediating effect of physical activity level through social support (beta=.126; <italic>P</italic>&lt;.001) and self-efficacy (beta=.294; <italic>P</italic>&lt;.001). Gender played an important role in app use, self-efficacy, and physical activity in the mediation model: male users spent more time on physical activity and had higher self-efficacy scores (<italic>P</italic>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS This study focused on college students in Beijing and found that the use of physical activity apps is associated with higher physical activity levels among these students. This effect is mainly through the mediation effect of social support and self-efficacy, rather than the direct effect of physical activity apps. The use of physical activity apps is associated with a higher social support level and higher self-efficacy score. Furthermore, a high social support level and high self-efficacy score are associated with higher physical activity levels.

scholarly journals Examining an App-Based Mental Health Self-Care Program, IntelliCare for College Students: Single-Arm Pilot Study

10.2196/21075 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e21075
Author(s):  
Emily Lattie ◽  
Katherine A Cohen ◽  
Nathan Winquist ◽  
David C Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Care Program ◽  
User Feedback ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Feedback Information ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Mental Health Programs

Background In recent years, there has been an increase in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses in college student populations alongside a steady rise in the demand for counseling services. Digital mental health programs, such as those delivered through mobile apps, can add to the array of available services but must be tested for usability and acceptability before implementation. Objective This study aims to examine how students used IntelliCare for College Students over an 8-week period to examine the preliminary associations between app use and psychosocial targets and to gather user feedback about usability issues that need to be remedied before a larger implementation study. Methods IntelliCare for College Students is an app-based platform that provides symptom assessments with personalized feedback, information about campus resources, lessons on mental health and wellness topics, and access to the suite of interactive skill–focused IntelliCare apps. A total of 20 students were recruited to participate in an 8-week study. To test for a broad range of potential users, we recruited a mixed sample of students with elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety and students without elevated symptoms. Participants completed psychosocial questionnaires at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Participants also completed user feedback interviews at weeks 4 and 8 in which they provided feedback on their experience using the app and suggestions for changes they would like to be made to the app. Results Of the 20 students who downloaded the app, 19 completed the study, indicating a high rate of retention. Over the study period, participants completed an average of 5.85 (SD 2.1; range 1-8) symptom assessments. Significant improvements were observed in the Anxiety Literacy Questionnaire scores (Z=−2.006; P=.045) and in the frequency with which participants used both cognitive (Z=−2.091; P=.04) and behavioral (Z=−2.249; P=.03) coping skills. In the feedback interviews, we identified a high degree of usability with minor bugs in the app software, which were quickly fixed. Furthermore, in feedback interviews, we identified that users found the app to be convenient and appreciated the ability to use the program in short bursts of time. Conclusions The findings indicate that the IntelliCare for College Students program was perceived as largely usable and engaging. Although the program demonstrated usability and preliminary benefits to students, further testing is needed to determine its clinical utility among college students. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04035577; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04035577

scholarly journals Examining an App-Based Mental Health Self-Care Program, IntelliCare for College Students: Single-Arm Pilot Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Lattie ◽  
Katherine A Cohen ◽  
Nathan Winquist ◽  
David C Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Care Program ◽  
User Feedback ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Feedback Information ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Mental Health Programs

BACKGROUND In recent years, there has been an increase in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses in college student populations alongside a steady rise in the demand for counseling services. Digital mental health programs, such as those delivered through mobile apps, can add to the array of available services but must be tested for usability and acceptability before implementation. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine how students used IntelliCare for College Students over an 8-week period to examine the preliminary associations between app use and psychosocial targets and to gather user feedback about usability issues that need to be remedied before a larger implementation study. METHODS IntelliCare for College Students is an app-based platform that provides symptom assessments with personalized feedback, information about campus resources, lessons on mental health and wellness topics, and access to the suite of interactive skill–focused IntelliCare apps. A total of 20 students were recruited to participate in an 8-week study. To test for a broad range of potential users, we recruited a mixed sample of students with elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety and students without elevated symptoms. Participants completed psychosocial questionnaires at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Participants also completed user feedback interviews at weeks 4 and 8 in which they provided feedback on their experience using the app and suggestions for changes they would like to be made to the app. RESULTS Of the 20 students who downloaded the app, 19 completed the study, indicating a high rate of retention. Over the study period, participants completed an average of 5.85 (SD 2.1; range 1-8) symptom assessments. Significant improvements were observed in the Anxiety Literacy Questionnaire scores (Z=−2.006; <i>P</i>=.045) and in the frequency with which participants used both cognitive (Z=−2.091; <i>P</i>=.04) and behavioral (Z=−2.249; <i>P</i>=.03) coping skills. In the feedback interviews, we identified a high degree of usability with minor bugs in the app software, which were quickly fixed. Furthermore, in feedback interviews, we identified that users found the app to be convenient and appreciated the ability to use the program in short bursts of time. CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that the IntelliCare for College Students program was perceived as largely usable and engaging. Although the program demonstrated usability and preliminary benefits to students, further testing is needed to determine its clinical utility among college students. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04035577; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04035577

Experimenting Through Mobile ‘Apps’ and ‘App Stores’

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 55-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Coulton ◽  
Will Bamford
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Value Added ◽  
App Store ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Experimental Process ◽  
Continued Use

Utilizing App Stores as part of an ‘in-the-large’ methodology requires researchers to have a good understanding of the effects the platform has in the overall experimental process if they are to utilize it effectively. This paper presents an empirical study of effects of the operation an App Store has on an App lifecycle through the design, implementation and distribution of three games on the WidSets platform which arguably pioneered many of the features now seen as conventional for an App Store. Although these games achieved in excess of 1.5 million users it was evident through their App lifecycle that very large numbers of downloads are required to attract even a small number of active users and suggests such Apps need to be developed using more commercial practices than would be necessary for traditional lab testing. Further, the evidence shows that ‘value added’ features such as chat increase not only the popularity of an App but also increase the likelihood of continued use and provide a means of direct interaction with users.

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