Abstract
BackgroundOverweight and obesity are international public health issues. With mobile and app use growing globally, the development of weight loss apps are increasing along with evidence that interventions using technology have been effective in the treatment of obesity. Although studies have been conducted regarding what content health professionals would recommend within weight loss apps, there are limited studies that explore users’ viewpoints. There is specifically a paucity of research that takes the cultural background of the user into consideration, especially in Middle Eastern countries where the lives and weight loss intervention needs of women not only vary vastly from the West, but the obesity rate is also increasing exponentially.ObjectiveThe current study sought to explore the proposed features of an Arabic weight loss app by seeking the experiences and opinions of overweight and obese Saudi Arabian users in order to design a mobile phone app to fit their needs.MethodsFocus group discussions were conducted with a purposive sample of volunteer overweight and obese Saudi women (BMI ≥ 25) who were older than 18 years and who owned a mobile phone. The most common Arabic and English weight loss mobile apps were downloaded to initiate dialogue about app usage and to get their opinions on what an ideal weight loss app would look like and the features it would include. All transcribed, translated discussions were thematically analyzed, categorized for each of the main topics of the discussion, and specific quotations were identified.ResultsFour focus groups were conducted with a total of 39 participants. Most participants owned an Android mobile phone and only a few participants were aware of the availability of health-related apps. Barriers to weight loss were identified including: motivation, support (social and professional), boring diets, customs, and lifestyle. Diverse themes emerged as suggestions for an ideal weight loss app including: Arabic language and culturally sensitive; motivational support and social networking; dietary and physical activity tools; and a tailorable, user-friendly interface.ConclusionsThis study identifies weight loss app features from the users’ perspective, which should be considered in the development of a weight loss app for this population.
Highlights
Numerous influential studies have shown that overweight and obesity has increased markedly, making it a major international health issue, especially among women
Diverse themes emerged as suggestions for an ideal weight loss app including: Arabic language and culturally sensitive; motivational support and social networking; dietary and physical activity tools; and a tailorable, user-friendly interface
This study identifies weight loss app features from the users’ perspective, which should be considered in the development of a weight loss app for this population. (JMIR mHealth uHealth 2015;3(2):e41) doi:10.2196/mhealth
Summary
Numerous influential studies have shown that overweight and obesity has increased markedly, making it a major international health issue, especially among women. According to the World Health Organization [1], the most recent evidence suggests that women are twice as likely as men to be obese in Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Americas. As the prevalence of obesity around the world has increased, so has the use of mobile technology, in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia [2,3]. This indicates that this technology may be useful as a weight loss intervention. There is a paucity of research that takes the cultural background of the user into consideration, especially in Middle Eastern countries where the lives and weight loss intervention needs of women vary vastly from the West, but the obesity rate is increasing exponentially
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
