Management Apps Research Articles

중년여성의 건강관리 모바일 앱 이용의도 영향요인: 건강신념모델을 중심으로

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing on intention to use mobile application (app) for health promotion in middle-aged women aged 40 to 64 years. Methods: A total of 586 women participated in the self-report questionnaires through an online survey. Data were collected from February 10 to 16, 2021. Data were analyzed using x² test and logistic regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 22.0. Results: 429 (73.2%) participants had intention to use mobile app for health promotion. Factors influencing on intention to use mobile app in this study were perceived usefulness (odds ratio [OR]=5.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.45~9.14, p＜.001), perception of health risks (OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.09~1.81, p=.012), no experience of mobile app use (OR=0.57, 95% CI=1.09~2.59, p=.018), and obesity (OR=2.93, 95% CI=1.76~4.87, p＜.001). Conclusion: This study suggests that it is important to improve awareness about usefulness of mobile apps and health risks as a strategy to increase the intention to use app for health promotion in addition to develop mobile apps for weight management in middle-aged women. In addition, mobile app interventions at public health centers are required to manage the middle-aged women’s health as an active community-based health management.

Guava Pest App to Assist Farmers

In this paper, Guava Pest App is designed to identify the several diseases in Guava at early stage. Guava Pest App is an innovative application that is useful for farmers.
 The farmers can capture the images from Guava farm and upload the images. Guava API is created and placed in cloud services. Images taken from farmers field matches with Guava API and gets the TNAU recommendation for the Guava fruit diseases.
 Guava Pest App for pest management in Guava will analyze and provide an accurate recommendation to farmers about the type of pesticide for the symptoms given through the images This paper expresses the idea about the creation of Guava Pest App, an android application that helps to make management decision for cotton leaf symptoms. The study would provide a better understanding of the management practice required for the Guava fruit disease.

From offline to online: understanding users' switching intentions from traditional wealth management services to mobile wealth management applications

PurposeFinancial technology (Fintech) brings about innovative financial services, such as the possibility of introducing mobile wealth management applications (apps) into consumers' lives. Despite the rapid development of such apps, few studies have focused on users' switching intentions from traditional wealth management services to mobile settings (apps).Design/methodology/approachThrough a survey research method, a total of 378 responses were collected to examine the model. The partial least squares (PLS) technique was employed for data analysis.FindingsTo fill this research gap, this paper adopts a push-pull-mooring (PPM) theoretical framework to develop a model for exploring users' switching intentions. According to the empirical results, several push (i.e. perceived inconvenience), pull (i.e. transaction efficiency, perceived personalization and mobile wealth management scenarios) or mooring (i.e. product market expertise and affective commitment) factors are identified that significantly affect switching intention. This study provides theoretical contributions and practical implications for the existing wealth management literature and also offers future research directions.Originality/valueThis study innovatively extends the PPM framework to the traditional and mobile wealth management domains to understand users' switching intentions from offline wealth management services to mobile wealth management apps. The authors uncover several push, pull and mooring factors that are critical for determining users’ switching decisions.

Load and fatigue monitoring in musicians using an online app: A pilot study.

High occupational injury rates are reported in musicians, with a career prevalence of up to 89%. Fatigue and playing (over)load are identified as key risk factors for musicians' injuries. Self-report fatigue management strategies in sport have demonstrated preventive effects. A self-report fatigue management tool for musicians was developed based on a Delphi survey of international experts and hosted in an online app. The aims of this study are to evaluate the content validity and uptake of this new tool, and explore associations between collected performance quality, physical/psychological stress, pain, injury and fatigue data. University and professional musicians were asked to provide entries into the online app twice per week for 1-6 months. Entries into the app were designed to take 2-3 min to complete and consisted of the following: 6 questions regarding playing load over the previous 72 h; 5 questions regarding current levels in key physical/psychological stress domains (sleep, recovery, overplaying, pain, fitness); one question self-rating of performance quality over the previous day; one question regarding current musculoskeletal symptoms; a reaction time task to evaluate psychomotor fatigue. N = 96 participants provided an average of 2 app entries (range 0-43). Increased playing time, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and feelings of having to "play too much" were consistently associated with increased self-rated performance quality (p ≤ 0.004; 6.7 <| t |< 2148.5). Increased ratings of feeling fit and recovering well were consistently associated with reduced pain severity (p < 0.001; 3.8 <| t |< 20.4). Pain severity was increased (6.5/10 vs. 2.5/10; p < 0.001) in participants reporting playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs; symptoms affecting playing). The prospective value of regular individual self-report playing load, stress, and performance data collection in musicians is clear. However, limited uptake of the online fatigue management app piloted in this study indicates that new approaches to the collection of these data are needed to realize their potential impact.

A Digital Platform to Support HIV Case Management for Youth and Young Adults: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.

Advances in medical treatments in recent years have contributed to an overall decline in HIV-related opportunistic infections and deaths in youth; however, mortality and morbidity rates in perinatally and nonperinatally infected adolescents and young adults (AYA) living with HIV remain relatively high today. The goal of this project was to assess the use, utility, and cost-effectiveness of PlusCare, a digital app for HIV case management in AYA living with HIV. The app supports routine case management tasks, such as scheduling follow-up visits, sharing documents for review and signature, laboratory test results, and between-visit communications (eg, encouraging messages). We conducted a single-group mixed methods pre-post study with HIV case management programs in 2 large urban hospitals in the Boston metro area. Case management staff (case managers [CMs], N=20) and AYA living with HIV participants (N=45) took part in the study with access to PlusCare for up to 15 and 12 months, respectively. The CMs and AYA living with HIV reported mean System Usability Scale scores of 51 (SD 7.9) and 63 (SD 10.6), respectively. Although marginally significant, total charges billed at 1 of the 2 sites compared with the 12 months before app use (including emergency, inpatient, and outpatient charges) decreased by 41% (P=.046). We also observed slight increases in AYA living with HIV self-reported self-efficacy in chronic disease management and quality of life (Health-Related Quality of Life-4) from baseline to the 12-month follow-up (P=.02 and P=.03, respectively) and increased self-efficacy from the 6- to 12-month follow-up (P=.02). There was no significant change in HIV viral suppression, appointment adherence, or medication adherence in this small-sample pilot study. Although perceived usability was low, qualitative feedback from CMs and use patterns suggested that direct messaging and timely, remote, and secure sharing of laboratory results and documents (including electronic signatures) between CMs and AYA living with HIV can be particularly useful and have potential value in supporting care coordination and promoting patient self-efficacy and quality of life. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03758066; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03758066.

Design, development, and usability evaluation of a smartphone-based application for nutrition management in patients with type II diabetes.

Information technology (IT)-based interventions, especially mobile health (mHealth), possess a great potential for promoting self-management in patients with chronic diseases, including diabetes type II. The present study was aimed to design and develop a smartphone-based application (app) for nutrition management in patients with type II diabetes and evaluation of its usability. In this study, a three-phase research approach was followed; (1) To determine the information content and functionalities of the app, a five-point Likert scale checklist including six parts was developed based on reviews of clinical practice guidelines and specialized databases. The checklist was then given to ten experts in endocrinology and metabolism, internal medicine, and nutrition, and those items with a mean score higher than 3.75 were approved. (2) In Android Studio, the app was designed and developed using Java language. (3) The Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS) was used to assess the app's usability by 21 patients with type II diabetes, ten IT experts, and seven endocrinologists, internal medicine practitioners, and nutritionists over one month. Mean scores were divided into three levels: weak (0-3), average (3-6), and good (6-9). According to experts' view, 17 out of 22 educational content and 17 out of 27 functionalities were approved. The app's most important educational content was the timing of meals for insulin patients and the definition of diabetes and its complications. The designed app had the following functionalities: providing educational information, recording information, performing calculations, representing data graphically, setting reminders, and communicating with physicians. The most important features of the app were the insulin dose calculation, reminders for doctors' appointments, setting times for tests and blood glucose measurements, and also tracking weight, blood glucose levels, and blood pressure. In terms of usability evaluation, the app was rated "good" level by diabetic patients (7.83 ± 0.74), IT experts (8.1 ± 0.66), and physicians (8.03 ± 0.95). Given the desirable evaluation of the app by patients, physicians, and IT experts, it can be concluded that the developed app has the required functionalities for nutrition management of patients with type II diabetes. Smartphone-based apps appear to be able to improve self-management, the quality of care and health in patients with diabetes, and reduce many of their unnecessary visits to healthcare centers, and costs. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-022-01140-x.

Sustainability potential of app-based food loss measurement: Farmers' perspectives in southwestern British Columbia, Canada

Food loss is a systemic problem contributing to negative environmental, social, and economic impacts. However, despite food loss quantification being identified as critical for food loss prevention and reduction, there is a dearth of studies exploring opportunities to digitize or simplify food loss measurement. Moreover, post-harvest food loss estimates can be difficult to obtain as farmers grow different types of crops and have diverse technical skills as well as resources. Digital agriculture technologies such as farm management apps that can help farmers accurately record their yield and sales may provide a useful method for quantifying food loss. Accurate food loss quantification may also help provide better baseline measurement for policymakers. To assess the potential role of digital agricultural tools for food loss quantification, this exploratory study recruited seven farmers in southwest British Columbia to test an open access farm management app called LiteFarm for 2 months and digitally recorded their harvest logs. Drawing upon semi-structured key informant interviews, this study found that time scarcity and crop diversity were barriers to using the app. An unexpected benefit to the app is that it can better inform land use decisions when utilized for pre-harvest planning and therefore may help with loss prevention. Findings from this study highlight farmers' struggles to focus on sustainability and reducing food loss, especially when balancing their economic interests. Inclusive digital technologies and deeper engagement with farmers are needed to develop food loss quantification methods that fit diverse farming contexts.

Evaluating Health Care Provider Perspectives on the Use of Mobile Apps to Support Patients With Heart Failure Management: Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Nonadherence to diet and medical therapies in heart failure (HF) contributes to poor HF outcomes. Mobile apps may be a promising way to improve adherence because they increase knowledge and behavior change via education and monitoring. Well-designed apps with input from health care providers (HCPs) can lead to successful adoption of such apps in practice. However, little is known about HCPs' perspectives on the use of mobile apps to support HF management. The aim of this study is to determine HCPs' perspectives (needs, motivations, and challenges) on the use of mobile apps to support patients with HF management. A qualitative descriptive study using one-on-one semistructured interviews, informed by the diffusion of innovation theory, was conducted among HF HCPs, including cardiologists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. Transcripts were independently coded by 2 researchers and analyzed using content analysis. The 21 HCPs (cardiologists: n=8, 38%; nurses: n=6, 29%; and nurse practitioners: n=7, 33%) identified challenges and opportunities for app adoption across 5 themes: participant-perceived factors that affect app adoption-these include patient age, technology savviness, technology access, and ease of use; improved delivery of care-apps can support remote care; collect, share, and assess health information; identify adverse events; prevent hospitalizations; and limit clinic visits; facilitating patient engagement in care-apps can provide feedback and reinforcement, facilitate connection and communication between patients and their HCPs, support monitoring, and track self-care; providing patient support through education-apps can provide HF-related information (ie, diet and medications); and participant views on app features for their patients-HCPs felt that useful apps would have reminders and alarms and participative elements (gamification, food scanner, and quizzes). HCPs had positive views on the use of mobile apps to support patients with HF management. These findings can inform effective development and implementation strategies of HF management apps in clinical practice.

Descriptive Analysis of Mobile Apps for Management of COVID-19 in Spain and Development of an Innovate App in that field

To address the current pandemic, multiple studies have focused on the development of new mHealth apps to help in curbing the number of infections, these applications aim to accelerate the identification and self-isolation of people exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus known to cause COVID-19, by being in close contact with infected individuals. The main objectives of this paper are: (1) Analyze the current status of COVID-19 apps available on the main virtual stores: Google Play Store and App Store for Spain, and (2) Propose a novel mobile application that allows interaction and doctor-patient follow-up without the need for real-time consultations (face-to-face or telephone). In this research, a search for eHealth and telemedicine apps related to Covid-19 was performed in the main online stores: Google Play Store and App Store, until May 2021. Keywords were entered into the search engines of the online stores and relevant apps were selected for study using a PRISMA methodology. For the design and implementation of the proposed app named COVINFO, the main weaknesses of the apps studied were taken into account in order to propose a novel and useful app for healthcare systems. The search yielded a total of 50 apps, of which 24 were relevant to this study, of which 23 are free and 54% are available for Android and iOS operating systems (OS). The proposed app has been developed for mobile devices with Android OS being compatible with Android 4.4 and higher. This app enables doctor-patient interaction and constant monitoring of the patient's progress without the need for calls, chats or face-to-face consultation in real time. This work addresses design and development of an application for the transmission of the user's symptoms to his regular doctor, based on the fact that only 16.6% of existing applications have this functionality. The COVINFO app offers a novel service: asynchronous doctor-patient communication, as well as constant monitoring of the patient’s condition and evolution. This app makes it possible to better manage the time of healthcare personnel and avoid overcrowding in hospitals, with the aim of preventing the collapse of healthcare systems and the spread of the coronavirus.

A scoping review of mobile apps for sleep management: User needs and design considerations.

Sleep disorders are prevalent nowadays, leading to anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and other health problems. Due to the proliferation of mobile devices and the development of communication technologies, mobile apps have become a popular way to deliver sleep disorder therapy or manage sleep. This scoping review aims to conduct a systematic investigation of mobile apps and technologies supporting sleep, including the essential functions of sleep apps, how they are used to improve sleep and the facilitators of and barriers to using apps among patients and other stakeholders. We searched articles (2010 to 2022) from Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and IEEE Xplore using the keyword sleep apps. In total, 1,650 peer-reviewed articles were screened, and 51 were selected for inclusion. The most frequently provided functions by the apps are sleep monitoring, measuring sleep, providing alarms, and recording sleep using a sleep diary. Several wearable devices have been used with mobile apps to record sleep duration and sleep problems. Facilitators and barriers to using apps were identified, along with the evidence-based design guidelines. Existing studies have proved the initial validation and efficiency of delivering sleep treatment by mobile apps; however, more research is needed to improve the performance of sleep apps and devise a way to utilize them as a therapy tool.

An Evaluation of a Mobile App for Chronic Low Back Pain Management: Prospective Pilot Study.

BackgroundChronic low back pain is challenging to manage due to multidisciplinary considerations. It has substantial socioeconomic impacts and cannot be simply treated with pharmacotherapy, nonsurgical intervention, or spine surgery. Medical consensus recommends optimizing conservative self-management therapies (eg, home exercise, wellness strategies, yoga, etc) as first-line treatment options for chronic low back pain. However, access to these modalities is often limited and secondary to cost, convenience, and ease of use. Mobile health apps have emerged as a cost-effective and accessible option for chronic low back pain self-management. Established in-person pain programs can provide the structure for an optimal mobile app adaptation. PainNavigator (PainNavigator, Inc) is an example of a mobile app that is based on an Ascension-Illinois group–based pain program—Pain Rehabilitation Outpatient-Camp.ObjectiveThis was a prospective pilot clinical trial that evaluated the PainNavigator platform’s utility in low back pain management to inform future trial development.MethodsA total of 75 participants who used PainNavigator were studied. Pain, Enjoyment, and General Activity (PEG-3) scale scores and scores from a brief anxiety and depression scale based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) were obtained at baseline and following program completion. The PEG-3 total score was used, in addition to individual items—Average Pain, Pain Effect on Enjoyment, and Pain Effect on Activity. The PHQ-4 total score was also used, in addition to other individual items, including Felt Depressed, Loss of Interest, Felt Anxious, and Difficult to Control Worry. Paired sample t tests (2-tailed) compared mean differences in scores from before and after participants received the intervention.ResultsThe analysis found that PEG-3 (n=27) and PHQ-4 (n=27) total scores were significantly lower upon the completion of PainNavigator (P<.001 and P=.001, respectively). The findings showed a 36% reduction in PEG-3 total scores, a 40% reduction in pain intensity, and a 40% reduction in PHQ-4 total scores. Scores for individual PEG-3 scale and PHQ-4 items also significantly decreased. All PEG-3 measures had large effect sizes. The PHQ-4 total score and Difficult to Control Worry item had large effect sizes, while the other three measures had medium effect sizes.ConclusionsThese findings show that PainNavigator has clinical significance in managing chronic low back pain and can be easily utilized to improve patient care. All PEG-3 scale and PHQ-4 measures significantly improved following the use of the platform, supporting the multidimensional, biopsychosocial approach to low back pain management. Differences in effect sizes may inform quality improvement investigations, such as optimizing features that impact measures with only medium effect sizes. This feasibility study demonstrates an effective protocol, and it will inform future, more extensive randomized controlled trials.

Development of a Mobile-Based Self-care Application for Patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema in Iran.

Due to the chronic, progressive, and debilitating nature of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), it is necessary to observe and maintain self-care management accordingly. This study was conducted to develop a mobile application based on the Android operating system for self-care management of Iranian patients with BCRL. An applied developmental study was conducted in 2020. The users' information needs assessment as well as design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the mobile app for self-care management of patients with BCRL was done by searching the literature, reviewing the existing mobile applications, and surveying the users' needs. The mobile app was designed using the Android Studio environment and Java programming language in the Android operating system. The usability of the app was evaluated by 30 patients with BCRL using the questionnaire for user interface satisfaction-seventh version (QUIS 7). The mobile app for BCRL included demographic information, clinical information, lifestyle and system functions (drug use, nutrition, exercise, smoking cessation, communication, and test time reminder). User usability evaluation of the app content and functions confirmed that it was appropriate and satisfactory for the self-management of women with BCRL. The mobile app was appropriate in terms of the content, function, and quality for improving the patients' lifestyle and education and self-management of BCRL symptoms according to its usability evaluation from the end-users' (patients) perspective. It is suggested that studies should be performed to confirm the effectiveness and identify the clinical significance of the app.

3.116 Investigating the Transdiagnostic Aspect of a Self-Management Web-Based App for Sleep Disturbance in Adolescents and Young Adults

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are vulnerable to many sleep-related adversities, such as insomnia disorder, sleep deprivation, and social jetlag (ie, misalignment of bedtimes/risetimes throughout the week). To address this problem, we developed DOZE, which is a transdiagnostic web-based sleep management app. Although DOZE purports to be transdiagnostic (ie, helpful irrespective of the specific presented sleep problem), this has yet to be empirically examined. In this study, we evaluated subsets of the sample with challenges surrounding insomnia, sleepiness, and social jetlag to assess DOZE’s efficacy in different domains of concern.

Smartphone App in Stroke Management: A Narrative Updated Review.

The spread of smartphones and mobile-Health (m-health) has progressively changed clinical practice, implementing access to medical knowledge and communication between doctors and patients. Dedicated software called Applications (or Apps), assists the practitioners in the various phases of clinical practice, from diagnosis to follow-up and therapy management. The impact of this technology is even more important in diseases such as stroke, which are characterized by a complex management that includes several moments: primary prevention, acute phase management, rehabilitation, and secondary prevention. This review aims to evaluate and summarize the available literature on Apps for the clinical management of stroke. We described their potential and weaknesses, discussing potential room for improvement. Medline databases were interrogated for studies concerning guideline-based decision support Apps for stroke management and other medical scenarios from 2007 (introduction of the first iPhone) until January 2022. We found 551 studies. Forty-three papers were included because they fitted the scope of the review. Based on their purpose, Apps were classified into three groups: primary prevention Apps, acute stroke management Apps, and post-acute stroke Apps. We described the aim of each App and, when available, the results of clinical studies. For acute stroke, several Apps have been designed with the primary purpose of helping communication and sharing of patients’ clinical data among healthcare providers. However, interactive systems Apps aiming to assist clinicians are still lacking, and this field should be developed because it may improve stroke patients’ management.

An artificial intelligence-enabled smartphone app for real-time pressure injury assessment.

The management of chronic wounds in the elderly such as pressure injury (also known as bedsore or pressure ulcer) is increasingly important in an ageing population. Accurate classification of the stage of pressure injury is important for wound care planning. Nonetheless, the expertise required for staging is often not available in a residential care home setting. Artificial-intelligence (AI)-based computer vision techniques have opened up opportunities to harness the inbuilt camera in modern smartphones to support pressure injury staging by nursing home carers. In this paper, we summarise the recent development of smartphone or tablet-based applications for wound assessment. Furthermore, we present a new smartphone application (app) to perform real-time detection and staging classification of pressure injury wounds using a deep learning-based object detection system, YOLOv4. Based on our validation set of 144 photos, our app obtained an overall prediction accuracy of 63.2%. The per-class prediction specificity is generally high (85.1%–100%), but have variable sensitivity: 73.3% (stage 1 vs. others), 37% (stage 2 vs. others), 76.7 (stage 3 vs. others), 70% (stage 4 vs. others), and 55.6% (unstageable vs. others). Using another independent test set, 8 out of 10 images were predicted correctly by the YOLOv4 model. When deployed in a real-life setting with two different ambient brightness levels with three different Android phone models, the prediction accuracy of the 10 test images ranges from 80 to 90%, which highlight the importance of evaluation of mobile health (mHealth) application in a simulated real-life setting. This study details the development and evaluation process and demonstrates the feasibility of applying such a real-time staging app in wound care management.

The Effectiveness of Mobile Apps for Monitoring and Management of Suicide Crisis: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Suicide risk is a multifaceted phenomenon, and many risk factors are involved in its complexity. In the last few decades, mental health apps have spread, providing economic and affordable strategies to prevent suicide. Therefore, the aim of this review is to identify original studies on mobile apps that target suicidal crises. The review follows PRISMA guidelines, searching through four major electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycInfo and Web of Science) for relevant titles/abstracts published from January 2010 to May 2022. It includes original studies that explicitly analyze mobile apps for suicide prevention. A total of 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies assessed the feasibility and acceptability of mobile apps, ten studies assessed the efficacy of mobile apps in preventing suicide, and six studies described randomized control trial protocols not yet implemented. Generally, the apps were judged by participants to be acceptable and helpful, and several improvements to enhance the functionality of apps were suggested. The efficacy of mobile apps, although limited and assessed with very heterogenous methods, was confirmed by most of the studies. Mobile apps could represent a helpful supplement to traditional prevention tactics, providing real-time monitoring of at-risk persons, personalized tools to cope with suicidal crises, and immediate access to specific support.

MHealth and telemedicine utility in the monitoring of allergic diseases.

This literature review discusses the use of mHealth technologies and telemedicine for monitoring various allergic diseases both in everyday life and in the context of COVID-19. Telemedicine, whose popularity, and demand has skyrocketed during the pandemic, rely on mHealth technologies, video calls and websites as a resource-saving and safe way of consulting patients. The incorporation of new mHealth technologies into telemedicine practice may not only be relevant in the context of pandemic restrictions but can also be applied in everyday medical practice as an effective method of patient counseling. The mobile healthcare applications include a wide range of mobile apps for patients' education, monitoring, and disease management. However, applications for the people with food allergies lack relevant information about allergies and, like most other applications, are developed without the contribution of healthcare specialists. During the COVID-19 pandemic, low-risk food-allergic patients were able to rely on telemedicine services where they could get the help, they needed without increasing risk of contracting COVID-19 while saving time. Meanwhile, some applications for allergic rhinitis and asthma patients are showing practical benefits in clinical trials by allowing an efficient assessment of treatment regimens and efficacy. The use of digital symptom diaries further facilitates the implementation of real-life studies. However, for respiratory allergic diseases, the often insufficient quality of pollen prediction needs to be taken into account. Even though studies have shown that asthma is better controlled with mHealth technologies, the quality of mobile apps for asthma patients varies widely, as many products provide information that has not been scientifically proven. Inhaler sensors – have been shown to improve the course of asthma and its monitoring, while push notifications prompting people to take their medication double the likelihood of treatment adherence. Teledermatology has a high level of patient satisfaction – as it is perceived as a more time-saving method of consultation. However, the diagnostic accuracy of contact consultations remains higher. mHealth technologies provide a patient's health data from his/her daily life, which enables insights into behavioral patterns. This closer look at the daily routine can have a significant impact on developing individualized treatment and care guidelines.

Understanding users' perspectives on mobile apps for anxiety management.

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental health problem. The potential of apps to improve mental health has led to an increase in the number of anxiety apps available. Even though anxiety apps hold the potential to enhance mental health care for individuals, there is relatively little knowledge concerning users’ perspectives. This mixed-methods study aims to understand the nature of user burden and engagement with mental health apps (MHapps) targeting anxiety management, in order to identify ways to improve the design of these apps. Users’ perspectives on these apps were gathered by analyzing 600 reviews from 5 apps on the app stores (Study 1), and conducting 15 interviews with app users (Study 2). The results shed light on several barriers to adoption and sustained use. Users appreciate apps that offer content variation, customizability, and good interface design, and often requested an enhanced, personalized experience to improve engagement. We propose addressing the specific app quality issues identified through human-centered design, more personalized content delivery, and by improving features for social and therapeutic support.

EFFECT OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE TECHNIQUES ON USERS' CONTINUANCE INTENTION OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT APPS

With the explosive growth of global consumer needs for mobile health services, health management applications (HM APPs) have aroused extensive social attention. Most of the existing studies have been based on Expectation Confirmation Theory, whereas few studies have explored the intention of continued use of HM APPs from the technology appropriateness perspective. This study empirically analyzed the impact of behavior change techniques (BCTs) on the continuance intention (CI) of HM APPs users by using the Partial least squares structural equation model. Data were collected from a sample of 334 Chinese users. Results demonstrate that appropriate matching of BCTs plays a notable determinative role on user CI; perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and perceived switching cost (PSC) have significant positive effects on user CI and play mediating effects between BCTs and CI. It is also found that BCTs are significant predictors for user PSC, but the positive effect of satisfaction on user PSC is insignificant. This study reveals the mechanism of how BTCs influence the users’ decision on whether or not to continue using HM APPs. The proposed implications can serve as a reference for academics and practitioners. Keywords: Behavior change techniques, health management APPs, continuance intention, expectation-confirmation theory

Data Management and Privacy Policy of COVID-19 Contact-Tracing Apps: Systematic Review and Content Analysis.

BackgroundCOVID-19 digital contact-tracing apps were created to assist public health authorities in curbing the pandemic. These apps require users’ permission to access specific functions on their mobile phones, such as geolocation, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections, or personal data, to work correctly. As these functions have privacy repercussions, it is essential to establish how contact-tracing apps respect users’ privacy.ObjectiveThis study aimed to systematically map existing contact-tracing apps and evaluate the permissions required and their privacy policies. Specifically, we evaluated the type of permissions, the privacy policies’ readability, and the information included in them.MethodsWe used custom Google searches and existing lists of contact-tracing apps to identify potentially eligible apps between May 2020 and November 2021. We included contact-tracing or exposure notification apps with a Google Play webpage from which we extracted app characteristics (eg, sponsor, number of installs, and ratings). We used Exodus Privacy to systematically extract the number of permissions and classify them as dangerous or normal. We computed a Permission Accumulated Risk Score representing the threat level to the user’s privacy. We assessed the privacy policies’ readability and evaluated their content using a 13-item checklist, which generated a Privacy Transparency Index. We explored the relationships between app characteristics, Permission Accumulated Risk Score, and Privacy Transparency Index using correlations, chi-square tests, or ANOVAs.ResultsWe identified 180 contact-tracing apps across 152 countries, states, or territories. We included 85.6% (154/180) of apps with a working Google Play page, most of which (132/154, 85.7%) had a privacy policy document. Most apps were developed by governments (116/154, 75.3%) and totaled 264.5 million installs. The average rating on Google Play was 3.5 (SD 0.7). Across the 154 apps, we identified 94 unique permissions, 18% (17/94) of which were dangerous, and 30 trackers. The average Permission Accumulated Risk Score was 22.7 (SD 17.7; range 4-74, median 16) and the average Privacy Transparency Index was 55.8 (SD 21.7; range 5-95, median 55). Overall, the privacy documents were difficult to read (median grade level 12, range 7-23); 67% (88/132) of these mentioned that the apps collected personal identifiers. The Permission Accumulated Risk Score was negatively associated with the average App Store ratings (r=−0.20; P=.03; 120/154, 77.9%) and Privacy Transparency Index (r=−0.25; P<.001; 132/154, 85.7%), suggesting that the higher the risk to one’s data, the lower the apps’ ratings and transparency index.ConclusionsMany contact-tracing apps were developed covering most of the planet but with a relatively low number of installs. Privacy-preserving apps scored high in transparency and App Store ratings, suggesting that some users appreciate these apps. Nevertheless, privacy policy documents were difficult to read for an average audience. Therefore, we recommend following privacy-preserving and transparency principles to improve contact-tracing uptake while making privacy documents more readable for a wider public.