scholarly journals Quality of Physical Activity Apps: Systematic Search in App Stores and Content Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/22587 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Paganini ◽  
Yannik Terhorst ◽  
Lasse Bosse Sander ◽  
Selma Catic ◽  
Sümeyye Balci ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1478.1-1478
Author(s):  
M. Antunes ◽  
A. Schmitt ◽  
A. Pasqual Marques

Background:Health education is pointed out as the front line in non-pharmacological approaches in fibromyalgia.Objectives:To develop an interdisciplinary educational program to promote the health of individuals with fibromyalgia in Brazil.Methods:This is a qualitative study, through a focus group, carried out in a Basic Health Unit in the city of São Paulo, SP. The guiding questions were about the needs and demands exposed by patients with fibromyalgia and health professionals who work in primary health care. 12 individuals with fibromyalgia and 10 health professionals participated. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method proposed by Bardin, specifically the thematic content analysis.Results:Amigos de Fibro (Fibro Friends) should be conducted through lectures, dynamics and conversation circles. The educational program must include 15 meetings with weekly frequency. The meetings are: 1st to present the program and socialization activities. 2nd: Doctor presents the concepts of fibromyalgia. 3rd: Nurse informs about practices and environments that favor self-care. 4th: Social Worker shows the importance of support. 5th: Physiotherapist shows the main body practices and physical activity. 6th: Nutritionist presents an adequate and healthy diet. 7: Psychologist shows mental health practices. 8th: Pharmacist informs about medicines. 9, 11 and 13: participants perform activities at home. 10: Naturologist presents integrative and complementary practices. 12th: Occupational Therapist encourages methods to save energy. Day 14: Speech therapist helps in the quality of sleep. 15: closing activity.Conclusion:Amigos de Fibro is a program that presents interdisciplinary educational information for individuals with fibromyalgia, being considered a trend of care for the future. The next step is to conduct a clinical trial to verify the effect of this intervention and then implement it in the health service in Brazil. Fibro Friends was created from the conjunct action of patients and healthcare professionals, it can be an effective educational tool to be implemented at primary health attention centers, promoting the self-care, life quality and the promotion of health in individuals with Fibromyalgia. Fibro Friends is an excellent tool for patient education and counseling in Brazil.References:[1]Antunes M, Ferreira A, Oliveira D, Júnior JN, Bertolini S, Marques AP. There is association between the level of physical activity and quality of life of women with fibromyalgia?. Annals of rheumatic diseases. 2019;78(2)650-1. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-eular.2835.[2]García-Ríos MC, Navarro-Ledesma S, Tapia-Haro RM, Toledano-Moreno S, Casas-Barragán A, Correa-Rodríguez M et al. Effectiveness of health education in patients with fibromyalgia: a systematic review. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. 2019;55(2):301-13. https://doi.org/10.23736/S1973-9087.19.05524-2.[3]Oliveira DV, Ferreira AAM, Oliveira DCD, Leme DEDC, Antunes MD, Nascimento Júnior JRAD. Association of the practice of physical activity and of health status on the quality of life of women with fibromyalgia. Journal of Physical Education. 2019;30(1): e3027. https://doi.org/10.4025/jphyseduc.v30i1.3027.[4]Stuifbergen AK, Blozis SA, Becker H, Phillips L, Timmerman G, Kullberg V, et al. A randomized controlled trial of a wellness intervention for women with fibromyalgia syndrome. Clinical Rehabilitation. 2010;24(4):305-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215509343247.Acknowledgements:This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulina Bondaronek ◽  
Ghadah Alkhaldi ◽  
April Slee ◽  
Fiona L Hamilton ◽  
Elizabeth Murray

BACKGROUND Within the new digital health landscape, the rise of health apps creates novel prospects for health promotion. The market is saturated with apps that aim to increase physical activity (PA). Despite the wide distribution and popularity of PA apps, there are limited data on their effectiveness, user experience, and safety of personal data. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review and content analysis was to evaluate the quality of the most popular PA apps on the market using health care quality indicators. METHODS The top-ranked 400 free and paid apps from iTunes and Google Play stores were screened. Apps were included if the primary behavior targeted was PA, targeted users were adults, and the apps had stand-alone functionality. The apps were downloaded on mobile phones and assessed by 2 reviewers against the following quality assessment criteria: (1) users’ data privacy and security, (2) presence of behavior change techniques (BCTs) and quality of the development and evaluation processes, and (3) user ratings and usability. RESULTS Out of 400 apps, 156 met the inclusion criteria, of which 65 apps were randomly selected to be downloaded and assessed. Almost 30% apps (19/65) did not have privacy policy. Every app contained at least one BCT, with an average number of 7 and a maximum of 13 BCTs. All but one app had commercial affiliation, 12 consulted an expert, and none reported involving users in the app development. Only 12 of 65 apps had a peer-reviewed study connected to the app. User ratings were high, with only a quarter of the ratings falling below 4 stars. The median usability score was excellent—86.3 out of 100. CONCLUSIONS Despite the popularity of PA apps available on the commercial market, there were substantial shortcomings in the areas of data safety and likelihood of effectiveness of the apps assessed. The limited quality of the apps may represent a missed opportunity for PA promotion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulina Bondaronek ◽  
Ghadah Alkhaldi ◽  
April Slee ◽  
Fiona L Hamilton ◽  
Elizabeth Murray

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Hayman ◽  
Kristie-Lee Alfrey ◽  
Kim Waters ◽  
Summer Cannon ◽  
Gregore Iven Mielke ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Guidelines on physical activity/exercise during pregnancy recommend all women without contraindications engage in regular physical activity to improve both their own health and the health of their baby. Many women are uncertain how to safely engage in physical activity/exercise during this life-stage and are increasingly using mobile applications (apps) to access health-related information. However, the extent to which apps provide physical activity/exercise advice aligns with current evidence-based pregnancy recommendations is currently unclear. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic search and content analysis of apps that promote physical activity/exercise in pregnancy to examine: (1) alignment of the content with current evidence-based recommendations; (2) delivery, format and features of physical activity/exercise instruction; and (3) credentials of app developers. METHODS Systematic searches were conducted in the Australian AppStore and GooglePlay stores in October 2020. Apps were identified using combinations of search terms relevant to pregnancy and physical activity/exercise and screened for inclusion (primary focus on physical activity/exercise during pregnancy, free to download or did not require immediate paid subscription and an average user rating of 4+ out of 5). Each app was then independently reviewed using an author-designed extraction tool. Data were exported, collated, and reported using descriptive statistics. RESULTS Twenty-seven apps were included in this review (GooglePlay: n=16 and AppStore: n=11). All were exercise-based apps that predominately recommended structured and purposeful activity. Two-thirds (n=17) provided some information relating to each of the FITT principles (frequency, intensity, time, type) of exercise; however, only three provided this information in-line with current evidence-based guidelines. Just over one-third of apps (n=10) provided information about contraindications to exercise during pregnancy and referenced the supporting evidence. No apps actively engaged in screening for potential contraindications. Only four apps collected information about the user’s current exercise behaviours, three apps allowed users to personalise features relating to their exercise preferences, and just over one-third (n=10) provided information about developer credentials. CONCLUSIONS Our findings showed that few exercise apps designed for pregnancy aligned with current evidence-based physical activity guidelines. No apps screened users for contraindications to physical activity/exercise during pregnancy and most lacked appropriate personalisation features to account for individual characteristics. Few involved qualified experts during the development of the app. As such, there is a need to improve the quality of apps that promote exercise in pregnancy, to ensure women are appropriately supported to engage in exercise, and the potential risk of injury, complications and/or adverse pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child is minimised. This could be done by providing expert guidance that aligns with current recommendations, introducing screening measures and features that enable personalisation and tailoring to individual users, or by developing a recognised system for regulating apps. CLINICALTRIAL Not required


10.2196/11281 ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. e11281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Simões ◽  
Anabela G Silva ◽  
João Amaral ◽  
Alexandra Queirós ◽  
Nelson P Rocha ◽  
...  

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