4,653 research outputs found

    Teenpower: an integrated architecture for an mHealth platform designed for e-Empowering teenagers to prevent obesity: a showcase of the TeenPower platform

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    2018 IEEE 20th International Conference on e-Health Networking, Applications and Services (Healthcom)Adolescents, reportedly, easily adopt a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy behaviors. Furthermore, the use of smartphones, especially in this age group, is made on a daily basis. In this context, the TeenPower Project includes an mHealth platform integrated in an intervention programme to engage teenagers to embrace more healthier lifestyle behaviors. This paper describes the technical aspects of the development and implementation of the software applications that compose the TeenPower Platform. The platform consists of two applications: a mobile app (Android) to be used by adolescents, mainly for self-monitoring and educational purposes; and the backoffice (web) application to be used by teachers and health professionals. Both applications are integrated and work through a web service (REST-based) API, which allows them to exchange data seamlessly, keep all related contents updated and enhance communication between adolescents and health professionals.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    The Impact of Gamified Mobile Applications for Disease Management: Case Study Pre-Diabetic Adolescents

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    In 2014, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States [1]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one third of all adults in the United State are pre-diabetic. Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose (sugar) is higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diabetic. Persons who have an increased risk of developing pre-diabetes are: those who are not physically active, have a family history of diabetes, are within a minority group, are overweight/obese, and other factors. From 1999 to 2008, the occurrence of adolescents ages 12 to 19 with pre-diabetes or diabetes increased from 9% to 23% [5]. The purpose of this study is to determine whether deploying a gamified mobile application will help reduce adolescent’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, as well as increase the quality of user care. Technology can greatly enhance a user’s ability to self-manage and lower their risk for pre-diabetes. Considering the varied uses of smartphones, it is not unusual for an application to be used to help pre-diabetics manage their health. Smartphone applications are currently being used to manage fitness, diet, glucose levels, water intake, blood pressure, heart rate, and weight. In a 2015 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 88% of all American adolescent’s ages 13 to 17 have or have access to a mobile phone, with 73% owning a smartphone. This study also shows that 72% of all adolescents play video games and that 81% have or have access to a gaming console [11]. This data shows the potential for mobile gamified applications in pre-diabetic user care

    A smartphone app to promote an active lifestyle in lower-educated working young adults : development, usability, acceptability, and feasibility study

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    BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) levels are problematic in lower-educated working young adults (18-26 years). To promote PA, smartphone apps have great potential, but there is no evidence for their effectiveness in this population. To increase the likelihood that a newly developed app will be effective, formative research and user testing are required. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the development, usability, acceptability, and feasibility of a new theory- and evidence-based smartphone app to promote an active lifestyle in lower-educated working young adults. METHODS: The new app was developed by applying 4 steps. First, determinants important to promote an active lifestyle in this population were selected. Second, evidence-based behavior change techniques were selected to convert the determinants into practical applications. Third, a new smartphone app was developed. Fourth, volunteers (n=11, both lower and higher educated) tested the app on usability, and lower-educated working young adults (n=16) tested its acceptability and feasibility via (think aloud) interviews, a questionnaire, and Google Analytics. The app was accordingly adapted for the final version. RESULTS: A new Android app, Active Coach, was developed that focused on knowledge, attitude, social support, and self-efficacy (based on outcomes from step 1), and that applied self-regulation techniques (based on outcomes from step 2). The app consists of a 9-week program with personal goals, practical tips, and scientific facts to encourage an active lifestyle. To ensure all-day and automatic self-monitoring of the activity behavior, the Active Coach app works in combination with a wearable activity tracker, the Fitbit Charge. Issues detected by the usability test (eg, text errors, wrong messages) were all fixed. The acceptability and feasibility test showed that participants found the app clear, understandable, and motivating, although some aspects needed to be more personal. CONCLUSIONS: By applying a stepwise, user-centered approach that regularly consulted the target group, the new app is adapted to their specific needs and preferences. The Active Coach app was overall positively evaluated by the lower-educated working young adults at the end of the development process

    Using mobile technology to engage sexual and gender minorities in clinical research.

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    IntroductionHistorical and current stigmatizing and discriminatory experiences drive sexual and gender minority (SGM) people away from health care and clinical research. Being medically underserved, they face numerous disparities that make them vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Effective methods to engage and recruit SGM people into clinical research studies are needed.ObjectivesTo promote health equity and understand SGM health needs, we sought to design an online, national, longitudinal cohort study entitled The PRIDE (Population Research in Identity and Disparities for Equality) Study that enabled SGM people to safely participate, provide demographic and health data, and generate SGM health-related research ideas.MethodsWe developed an iPhone mobile application ("app") to engage and recruit SGM people to The PRIDE Study-Phase 1. Participants completed demographic and health surveys and joined in asynchronous discussions about SGM health-related topics important to them for future study.ResultsThe PRIDE Study-Phase 1 consented 18,099 participants. Of them, 16,394 provided data. More than 98% identified as a sexual minority, and more than 15% identified as a gender minority. The sample was diverse in terms of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, geographic location, education, and individual income. Participants completed 24,022 surveys, provided 3,544 health topics important to them, and cast 60,522 votes indicating their opinion of a particular health topic.ConclusionsWe developed an iPhone app that recruited SGM adults and collected demographic and health data for a new national online cohort study. Digital engagement features empowered participants to become committed stakeholders in the research development process. We believe this is the first time that a mobile app has been used to specifically engage and recruit large numbers of an underrepresented population for clinical research. Similar approaches may be successful, convenient, and cost-effective at engaging and recruiting other vulnerable populations into clinical research studies

    Testing the Mystic School Mobile Application to Promote Active Commuting to School in Spanish Adolescents: The PACO Study

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    Active commuting to and/or from school (ACS) is an opportunity to increase daily physical activity (PA) levels in young people. Mobile-device interventions focused on promoting the practice of health-related PA can be more cost-effective than traditional interventions in this population. Objective: To analyze the adolescents’ opinion of the mobile application (app) Mystic School, which was designed to promote ACS in Spanish adolescents. Methods: A total of 44 students (14–15 years old) from Granada and JaĂ©n participated in the test of the Mystic School app during two phases: phase 1 (n = 10) for 2 weeks and phase 2 (n = 34) for 1 month. Each phase included an app presentation, a follow-up, and focus group sessions. The qualitative analysis was carried out through NVivo software. Results: In phase 1, adolescents reported improvements in the design and functioning, such as the avatar movement, virtual steps utilities, and multiplayer function. These suggestions were included in phase 2. After phase 2, adolescents reported that it is important to add the possibility of playing without an Internet connection to the game, to include more competitive options, prizes, and to increase the difficulty of the levels. In both phases, problems with the step number counting remained. Conclusion: The Mystic School app can be a useful tool for the physical education teacher to integrate the content from this curriculum related to the promotion of PA, such as ACS.Spanish GovernmentEuropean CommissionUniversity of Granada Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016-Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES) DEP2016-75598-RJunta de AndaluciaConsejeria de Conocimiento, Investigacion y UniversidadesEuropean Commission SOMM17/6107/UG

    Sex Ed to Go- An Analysis of Comprehensive Sexual Education Mobile Phone Applications

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    The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates among developed countries and the numbers of STIs have increased during the last few years. Mobile phone applications constitute a promising platform to disseminate sexual health information and to reduce adverse health outcomes, particularly among teens. In order to be effective, apps have to follow a comprehensive approach to sexuality education, include concepts of behavior change theories, and adhere to health literacy principles. This study used a mixed-methods approach consisting of a quantitative content analysis and qualitative thematic analysis to assess the quality of sexual education apps available to users on the iOS and Android app market. The results show that there is a dearth of health literate, evidence- and theory-based sexual education apps available to teenagers in the United States. The focus remained on the negative consequences of sex and their prevention, while other topics such as identity or personal safety were hardly addressed. Interactive features were used in only 40% of apps. Furthermore, content was female-oriented and reinforced negative stereotypes and perceived norms that may have a negative impact on the sexual health of teens. These findings suggest that the potential of apps has not yet been fully realized in the context of sexual health promotion. This thesis provides suggestions and guidelines for individuals interested in developing theory-and evidence-based sexual education apps

    Potential associations between behavior change techniques and engagement with mobile health apps: a systematic review

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    Introduction: Lack of engagement is a common challenge for digital health interventions. To achieve their potential, it is necessary to understand how best to support users’ engagement with interventions and target health behaviors. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the behavioral theories and behavior change techniques being incorporated into mobile health apps and how they are associated with the different components of engagement. Methods: The review was structured using the PRISMA and PICOS frameworks and searched six databases in July 2022: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycArticles, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tools. Analysis: A descriptive analysis provided an overview of study and app characteristics and evidence for potential associations between Behavior Change Techniques (BCTs) and engagement was examined. Results: The final analysis included 28 studies. Six BCTs were repeatedly associated with user engagement: goal setting, self-monitoring of behavior, feedback on behavior, prompts/cues, rewards, and social support. There was insufficient data reported to examine associations with specific components of engagement, but the analysis indicated that the different components were being captured by various measures. Conclusion: This review provides further evidence supporting the use of common BCTs in mobile health apps. To enable developers to leverage BCTs and other app features to optimize engagement in specific contexts and individual characteristics, we need a better understanding of how BCTs are associated with different components of engagement. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022312596

    Wearable Computing for Health and Fitness: Exploring the Relationship between Data and Human Behaviour

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    Health and fitness wearable technology has recently advanced, making it easier for an individual to monitor their behaviours. Previously self generated data interacts with the user to motivate positive behaviour change, but issues arise when relating this to long term mention of wearable devices. Previous studies within this area are discussed. We also consider a new approach where data is used to support instead of motivate, through monitoring and logging to encourage reflection. Based on issues highlighted, we then make recommendations on the direction in which future work could be most beneficial

    Regulating Mobile Mental Health Apps

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    Mobile medical apps (MMAs) are a fast‐growing category of software typically installed on personal smartphones and wearable devices. A subset of MMAs are aimed at helping consumers identify mental states and/or mental illnesses. Although this is a fledgling domain, there are already enough extant mental health MMAs both to suggest a typology and to detail some of the regulatory issues they pose. As to the former, the current generation of apps includes those that facilitate self‐assessment or self‐help, connect patients with online support groups, connect patients with therapists, or predict mental health issues. Regulatory concerns with these apps include their quality, safety, and data protection. Unfortunately, the regulatory frameworks that apply have failed to provide coherent risk‐assessment models. As a result, prudent providers will need to progress with caution when it comes to recommending apps to patients or relying on app‐generated data to guide treatment
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