The most popular smartphone apps for weight loss: A quality assessment

JMIR mHealth and uHealth

Volumn 3, Issue 4, 2015, Pages

  Chen, Juliana ^a   Cade, Janet E ^b   Allman Farinelli, Margaret ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS   (United Kingdom)

^c NONE

Author keywords

Behavior change techniques; Evaluation; Obesity; Quality; Smartphone apps; Weight management

Indexed keywords

EID: 84971629390     PISSN: None     EISSN: 22915222     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2196/mhealth.4334     Document Type: Article

References (73)

1. Ng M, Fleming T, Robinson M, Thomson B, Graetz N, Margono C, et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet 2014 Aug 30;384(9945):766-781. [doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60460-8] [Medline: 24880830]
2. Aguilar-Martínez A, Solé-Sedeño JM, Mancebo-Moreno G, Medina F, Carreras-Collado R, Saigí-Rubió F. Use of mobile phones as a tool for weight loss: A systematic review. J Telemed Telecare 2014 Sep;20(6):339-349. [doi: 10.1177/1357633X14537777] [Medline: 24875928]
3. Dennison L, Morrison L, Conway G, Yardley L. Opportunities and challenges for smartphone applications in supporting health behavior change: Qualitative study. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(4):e86 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2583] [Medline: 23598614]
4. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Communications Report 2012-13. Melbourne, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia; 2013. URL:http://www.acma.gov.au/~/media/Research%20and%20Analysis/Publication/ Comms%20Report%202012%2013/PDF/ACMA%20Communications%20report%20201213_WEB%20pdf.pdf [accessed 2014-08-25] [WebCite Cache ID 6WE9KmfNi]
5. eMarketer. US Smartphone Usage Nears UK Levels. 2014 Apr 2. URL:http://www.emarketer.com/Article/ US-Smartphone-Usage-Nears-UK-Levels/1010730 [accessed 2014-10-17] [WebCite Cache ID 6WE2IRaHe]
6. Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). 2013 Nov 20. Mobile apps: Putting the 'smart' in smartphonesURL:http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/engage-blogs/engage-blogs/Research-snapshots/ Mobile-apps-putting-the-smart-in-smartphones [accessed 2014-08-05] [WebCite Cache ID 6WE9iJnug]
7. Deloitte LLP. Mobile Consumer 2014: The UK Cut. Revolution and Evolution. 2014. URL:http://www.deloitte.co.uk/ mobileuk2014/assets/pdf/Deloitte_Mobile_Consumer_2014.pdf [accessed 2014-10-10] [WebCite Cache ID 6WEA5EQIB]
8. Dreyer K. Over a Third of US Smartphone Owners Download at least One App per Month. 2014 Sep 02. URL:http://www. comscore.com/Insights/Data-Mine/Over-a-Third-of-US-Smartphone-Owners-Download-At-Least-One-App-Per-Month [accessed 2014-09-02] [WebCite Cache ID 6WECk8Rg7]
9. Khalaf S. Flurry Insights. San Francisco, CA: Flurry Insights; 2014 Jun 19. Health and fitness apps finally take off, fueled by fitness fanaticsURL:http://www.flurry.com/blog/flurry-insights/ health-and-fitness-apps-finally-take-fueled-fitness-fanatics#.VESXd2dxnIV [accessed 2015-11-12] [WebCite Cache ID 6cyO7pxfk]
10. Carter MC, Burley VJ, Nykjaer C, Cade JE. Adherence to a smartphone application for weight loss compared to website and paper diary: Pilot randomized controlled trial. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(4):e32 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2283] [Medline: 23587561]
11. Hebden L, Cook A, van der Ploeg HP, Allman-Farinelli M. Development of smartphone applications for nutrition and physical activity behavior change. JMIR Res Protoc 2012;1(2):e9 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/resprot.2205] [Medline: 23611892]
12. Stephens J, Allen J. Mobile phone interventions to increase physical activity and reduce weight: A systematic review. J Cardiovasc Nurs 2013;28(4):320-329 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1097/JCN.0b013e318250a3e7] [Medline: 22635061]
13. West JH, Hall PC, Hanson CL, Barnes MD, Giraud-Carrier C, Barrett J. There's an app for that: Content analysis of paid health and fitness apps. J Med Internet Res 2012;14(3):e72 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.1977] [Medline: 22584372]
14. Bender JL, Yue RY, To MJ, Deacken L, Jadad AR. A lot of action, but not in the right direction: Systematic review and content analysis of smartphone applications for the prevention, detection, and management of cancer. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(12):e287 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2661] [Medline: 24366061]
15. Mobasheri MH, Johnston M, King D, Leff D, Thiruchelvam P, Darzi A. Smartphone breast applications - What's the evidence? Breast 2014 Oct;23(5):683-689. [doi: 10.1016/j.breast.2014.07.006] [Medline: 25153432]
16. Vollmer DD, Fair K, Hong YA, Beaudoin CE, Pulczinski J, Ory MG. Apps seeking theories: Results of a study on the use of health behavior change theories in cancer survivorship mobile apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2015;3(1):e31 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3861] [Medline: 25830810]
17. Arnhold M, Quade M, Kirch W. Mobile applications for diabetics: A systematic review and expert-based usability evaluation considering the special requirements of diabetes patients age 50 years or older. J Med Internet Res 2014;16(4):e104 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2968] [Medline: 24718852]
18. Chomutare T, Fernandez-Luque L, Arsand E, Hartvigsen G. Features of mobile diabetes applications: Review of the literature and analysis of current applications compared against evidence-based guidelines. J Med Internet Res 2011;13(3):e65 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.1874] [Medline: 21979293]
19. Abroms LC, Lee WJ, Bontemps-Jones J, Ramani R, Mellerson J. A content analysis of popular smartphone apps for smoking cessation. Am J Prev Med 2013 Dec;45(6):732-736 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.07.008] [Medline: 24237915]
20. Abroms LC, Padmanabhan N, Thaweethai L, Phillips T. iPhone apps for smoking cessation: A content analysis. Am J Prev Med 2011 Mar;40(3):279-285 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.10.032] [Medline: 21335258]
21. Choi J, Noh G, Park D. Smoking cessation apps for smartphones: Content analysis with the self-determination theory. J Med Internet Res 2014;16(2):e44 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.3061] [Medline: 24521881]
22. Plaza I, Demarzo MM, Herrera-Mercadal P, García-Campayo J. Mindfulness-based mobile applications: Literature review and analysis of current features. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2013;1(2):e24 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.2733] [Medline: 25099314]
23. Shen N, Levitan M, Johnson A, Bender JL, Hamilton-Page M, Jadad AA, et al. Finding a depression app: A review and content analysis of the depression app marketplace. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2015;3(1):e16 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3713] [Medline: 25689790]
24. Stoyanov SR, Hides L, Kavanagh DJ, Zelenko O, Tjondronegoro D, Mani M. Mobile app rating scale: A new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2015;3(1):e27 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3422] [Medline: 25760773]
25. Hundert AS, Huguet A, McGrath PJ, Stinson JN, Wheaton M. Commercially available mobile phone headache diary apps: A systematic review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2014;2(3):e36 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.3452] [Medline: 25138438]
26. Martínez-Pérez B, de la Torre-Díez I, López-Coronado M, Herreros-González J. Mobile apps in cardiology: Review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2013;1(2):e15 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.2737] [Medline: 25098320]
27. Crane D, Garnett C, Brown J, West R, Michie S. Behavior change techniques in popular alcohol reduction apps: Content analysis. J Med Internet Res 2015;17(5):e118 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.4060] [Medline: 25977135]
28. Weaver ER, Horyniak DR, Jenkinson R, Dietze P, Lim MS. "Let's get Wasted!" and other apps: Characteristics, acceptability, and use of alcohol-related smartphone applications. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2013;1(1):e9 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/mhealth.2709] [Medline: 25100681]
29. Robustillo Cortés Mde L, Cantudo Cuenca MR, Morillo Verdugo R, Calvo Cidoncha E. High quantity but limited quality in healthcare applications intended for HIV-infected patients. Telemed J E Health 2014 Aug;20(8):729-735. [doi: 10.1089/tmj.2013.0262] [Medline: 24849001]
30. Lalloo C, Jibb LA, Rivera J, Agarwal A, Stinson JN. "There's a Pain App for That": Review of patient-targeted smartphone applications for pain management. Clin J Pain 2015 Jun;31(6):557-563. [doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000171] [Medline: 25370138]
31. Reynoldson C, Stones C, Allsop M, Gardner P, Bennett MI, Closs SJ, et al. Assessing the quality and usability of smartphone apps for pain self-management. Pain Med 2014 Jun;15(6):898-909. [doi: 10.1111/pme.12327] [Medline: 24422990]
32. Martínez-Pérez B, de la Torre-Díez I, López-Coronado M. Mobile health applications for the most prevalent conditions by the World Health Organization: Review and analysis. J Med Internet Res 2013;15(6):e120 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.2600] [Medline: 23770578]
33. Gan KO, Allman-Farinelli M. A scientific audit of smartphone applications for the management of obesity. Aust N Z J Public Health 2011 Jun;35(3):293-294. [doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2011.00707.x] [Medline: 21627732]
34. Jeon E, Park H, Min YH, Kim H. Analysis of the information quality of korean obesity-management smartphone applications. Healthc Inform Res 2014 Jan;20(1):23-29 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.4258/hir.2014.20.1.23] [Medline: 24627815]
35. Breton ER, Fuemmeler BF, Abroms LC. Weight loss-There is an app for that! But does it adhere to evidence-informed practices? Transl Behav Med 2011 Dec;1(4):523-529 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1007/s13142-011-0076-5] [Medline: 24073074]
36. Pagoto S, Schneider K, Jojic M, DeBiasse M, Mann D. Evidence-based strategies in weight-loss mobile apps. Am J Prev Med 2013 Nov;45(5):576-582. [doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.04.025] [Medline: 24139770]
37. Azar KM, Lesser LI, Laing BY, Stephens J, Aurora MS, Burke LE, et al. Mobile applications for weight management: Theory-based content analysis. Am J Prev Med 2013 Nov;45(5):583-589. [doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.07.005] [Medline: 24139771]
38. Abraham C, Michie S. A taxonomy of behavior change techniques used in interventions. Health Psychol 2008 May;27(3):379-387. [doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.3.379] [Medline: 18624603]
39. Direito A, Dale LP, Shields E, Dobson R, Whittaker R, Maddison R. Do physical activity and dietary smartphone applications incorporate evidence-based behaviour change techniques? BMC Public Health 2014;14:646 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-646] [Medline: 24965805]
40. US Food and Drug Administration. Mobile Medical Applications: Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff. Rockville, MD; 2015 Feb 09. URL:http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/.../UCM263366.pdf [accessed 2015-03-31] [WebCite Cache ID 6XQiAHVC6]
41. Australian Government, Department of Health. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Regulation of medical software and mobile medical 'apps'. 2013 Sep 13. URL:https://www.tga.gov.au/regulation-medical-software-and-mobile-medical-apps [accessed 2015-05-12] [WebCite Cache ID 6YTi34jQm]
42. Burke LE, Wang J, Sevick MA. Self-monitoring in weight loss: A systematic review of the literature. J Am Diet Assoc 2011 Jan;111(1):92-102 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.10.008] [Medline: 21185970]
43. Silberg WM, Lundberg GD, Musacchio RA. Assessing, controlling, and assuring the quality of medical information on the Internet: Caveant lector et viewor-Let the reader and viewer beware. JAMA 1997 Apr 16;277(15):1244-1245. [Medline: 9103351]
44. Dietitians Association of Australia. DAA Best Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Canberra, Australia: Dietitians Association of Australia; 2012 Jan 25. URL:http://daa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ FINAL-DAA-obesity-guidelines-report-25th-January-2011-2.pdf [accessed 2015-11-15] [WebCite Cache ID 6d4bcT9cn]
45. National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, Adolescents and Children in Australia. Canberra, Australia: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC); 2013. URL:https://https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/ n57_obesity_guidelines_140630.pdf [accessed 2015-05-12] [WebCite Cache ID 6YTiJjSwM]
46. National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Canberra, Australia: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC); 2006. Nutrient reference values for Australia and New ZealandURL:https://www.nrv.gov.au/ [accessed 2015-05-13] [WebCite Cache ID 6YTzKsm0Y]
47. Gibson RS. Validity in dietary assessment methods. In: Principles of Nutritional Assessment. 2nd edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2005:149-196.
48. FoodWorks. High Gate Hill, Australia: Xyris Software URL:https://www.xyris.com.au/ [accessed 2014-08-25] [WebCite Cache ID 6cyMcl95v]
49. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Canberra, Australia: Food Standards Australia New Zealand; 2008. AUSNUT 2007URL:http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/ausnut/Pages/ausnut2007.aspx [accessed 2015-11-15] [WebCite Cache ID 6d4co6D5O]
50. Bangor A, Kortum PT, Miller JT. An empirical evaluation of the System Usability Scale. Int J Hum Comput Interact 2008 Jul 30;24(6):574-594. [doi: 10.1080/10447310802205776]
51. Brooke J. SUS: A "quick and dirty" usability scale. In: Jordan PW, Thomas B, Weerdmeester BA, McClelland IL, editors. Usability Evaluation in Industry. London, UK: Taylor & Francis; 1996:189-194.
52. Bangor A, Kortum P, Miller J. Determining what individual SUS scores mean: Adding an adjective rating scale. J Usability Stud 2009 May;4(3):114-123 [FREE Full text]
53. Dusseldorp E, van Genugten L, van Buuren S, Verheijden MW, van Empelen P. Combinations of techniques that effectively change health behavior: Evidence from Meta-CART analysis. Health Psychol 2014 Dec;33(12):1530-1540. [doi: 10.1037/hea0000018] [Medline: 24274802]
54. IBM. Chicago, IL: IBM Corporation; 2013. SPSS softwareURL:https://www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/spss/ [accessed 2014-08-12] [WebCite Cache ID 6cyPYAYU7]
55. BinDhim NF, Hawkey A, Trevena L. A systematic review of quality assessment methods for smartphone health apps. Telemed J E Health 2015 Feb;21(2):97-104. [doi: 10.1089/tmj.2014.0088] [Medline: 25469795]
56. Michie S, Abraham C, Whittington C, McAteer J, Gupta S. Effective techniques in healthy eating and physical activity interventions: A meta-regression. Health Psychol 2009 Nov;28(6):690-701. [doi: 10.1037/a0016136] [Medline: 19916637]
57. Webb TL, Joseph J, Yardley L, Michie S. Using the Internet to promote health behavior change: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of theoretical basis, use of behavior change techniques, and mode of delivery on efficacy. J Med Internet Res 2010;12(1):e4 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/jmir.1376] [Medline: 20164043]
58. Lieffers JR, Vance VA, Hanning RM. Use of mobile device applications in Canadian dietetic practice. Can J Diet Pract Res 2014;75(1):41-47. [Medline: 24606959]
59. Sharp DB, Allman-Farinelli M. Feasibility and validity of mobile phones to assess dietary intake. Nutrition 2014;30(11-12):1257-1266. [doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.02.020] [Medline: 24976425]
60. Lieffers JR, Hanning RM. Dietary assessment and self-monitoring with nutrition applications for mobile devices. Can J Diet Pract Res 2012;73(3):e253-e260. [Medline: 22958633]
61. Thomas SL, Hyde J, Karunaratne A, Kausman R, Komesaroff PA. "They all work...when you stick to them": A qualitative investigation of dieting, weight loss, and physical exercise, in obese individuals. Nutr J 2008;7:34 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-7-34] [Medline: 19025661]
62. Farago P. Flurry Insights. San Francisco, CA: Flurry Insights; 2012 Oct 22. App engagement: The matrix reloadedURL:http:/ /flurrymobile.tumblr.com/post/113379517625/app-engagement-the-matrix-reloaded [accessed 2014-10-12] [WebCite Cache ID 6cyLbn2Rp]
63. McLean VA. PRWeb. 2011 Apr 25. Motivating patients to use smartphone health appsURL:http://www.prweb.com/releases/ 2011/04/prweb5268884.htm [accessed 2014-09-25] [WebCite Cache ID 6XHevH54i]
64. Laing BY, Mangione CM, Tseng C, Leng M, Vaisberg E, Mahida M, et al. Effectiveness of a smartphone application for weight loss compared with usual care in overweight primary care patients: A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2014 Nov 18;161(10 Suppl):S5-S12. [doi: 10.7326/M13-3005] [Medline: 25402403]
65. Heinonen R, Luoto R, Lindfors P, Nygård C. Usability and feasibility of mobile phone diaries in an experimental physical exercise study. Telemed J E Health 2012 Mar;18(2):115-119. [doi: 10.1089/tmj.2011.0087] [Medline: 22283356]
66. Arsand E, Tatara N, Østengen G, Hartvigsen G. Mobile phone-based self-management tools for type 2 diabetes: The few touch application. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2010 Mar;4(2):328-336 [FREE Full text] [Medline: 20307393]
67. Rebro SM, Patterson RE, Kristal AR, Cheney CL. The effect of keeping food records on eating patterns. J Am Diet Assoc 1998 Oct;98(10):1163-1165. [doi: 10.1016/S0002-8223(98)00269-7] [Medline: 9787724]
68. Deterding S, Dixon D, Khaled R, Nacke L. From game design elements to gamefulness: Defining gamification. In: Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments. New York, NY: ACM; 2011 Presented at: 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments; September 28-30, 2011; Tampere, Finland p. 9-15. [doi: 10.1145/2181037.2181040]
69. Hamari J, Koivisto J, Sarsa H. Does gamification work?- A literature review of empirical studies on gamification. In: Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. New York, NY: IEEE; 2014 Presented at: 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS); January 6-9, 2014; Waikoloa, HI p. 3025-3034. [doi: 10.1109/HICSS.2014.377]
70. Lister C, West JH, Cannon B, Sax T, Brodegard D. Just a fad? Gamification in health and fitness apps. JMIR Serious Games 2014;2(2):e9 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.2196/games.3413] [Medline: 25654660]
71. Huotari K, Hamari J. Defining gamification: A service marketing perspective. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Media of the Future. New York, NY: ACM; 2012 Presented at: 16th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Media of the Future; October 3-5, 2012; Tampere, Finland p. 17-22. [doi: 10.1145/2393132.2393137]
72. King D, Greaves F, Exeter C, Darzi A. 'Gamification': Influencing health behaviours with games. J R Soc Med 2013 Mar;106(3):76-78. [doi: 10.1177/0141076813480996] [Medline: 23481424]
73. Allen JK, Stephens J, Dennison Himmelfarb CR, Stewart KJ, Hauck S. Randomized controlled pilot study testing use of smartphone technology for obesity treatment. J Obes 2013;2013:151597 [FREE Full text] [doi: 10.1155/2013/151597] [Medline: 24392223]