Babybyte: Usability Testing of a mHealth App Prototype to Improve Responsive Feeding Practices in Parents of Infants and Toddlers

Abstract

Objectives With the recent addition of nutrition guidance for children under the age of 2 years to the 2020 Dietary Guidelines, new strategies are needed to communicate reputable feeding information to parents of infants and toddlers for optimal nutrition and prevention of early childhood obesity. The objective of this study was to determine usability of a mHealth app prototype (BabyByte) containing early childhood feeding guidance based on recommended responsive feeding practices for parents of children ages 0 to 2 years old. Methods Parents participated in one-on-one cognitive interviews about the basic use and navigation of BabyByte and were probed to locate specific sections within the app, read the information on each page, and complete interactive tasks. Interviews were conducted by a trained research assistant and recorded via Zoom software. Each participant also completed the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) to rate overall usability, ease of use, interface satisfaction, and usefulness based on a 7-point Likert Scale. Mean MAUQ scores were calculated, with higher scores indicating higher usability of the app. Interview audio files were transcribed verbatim and response themes were aggregated using a content analysis approach. Results Parents (n = 20) were, on average, 30.7 years old with the majority self-reporting as white (95%), Hispanic (55%), having a bachelor's degree or higher (65%), working full-time (55%), and currently married (80%). On average, parents agreed or strongly agreed (6.5 ± 0.7 out of 7) that the app had high usability based on the MAUQ results. Ease of use (6.64 ± 0.6), interface and satisfaction (6.4 ± 0.9), and usefulness (6.3 ± 1.0) of the app received high ratings. Interview responses indicated that parents found the app prototype to be user-friendly and intuitive. Suggestions included minor changes in delivery, layout, and addition of supplemental and interactive content thus demonstrating the fit of the mHealth app with parent needs and preferences. Conclusions Parents of children ages 0 to 2 years old favorably rated the usability of BabyByte. With further revisions and expansion, BabyByte may be a feasible intervention tool to improve responsive practices by parents and prevent early childhood obesity. Funding Sources University of Florida CTSI

Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health (BEAM): A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of an App-Based Program for Mothers of Toddlers

“…We followed best practices and used a guided approach (with therapists and parent coaches). In terms of acceptability, the MAUQ findings in the current study indicated slightly lower usability than those for a similar App prototype which targeted parent feeding practices with their infants and toddlers (71). Although engagement and attrition in the BEAM program was comparable to other digital interventions that target parent mental health, parenting skills, or child behavior (25), the lower rate of retention in the intervention compared to the control group may suggest program feasibility issues.…”

“…This may reflect miscommunications given terminology can differ between researchers and tech developers. Before data collection begins, it is important to determine what variables are needed (70,71), translate them into events that can be tracked, and check whether they are tracked as automatically collected events in Google Analytics (e.g., total time spent on the App, session start) or need to be implemented as custom events during App development (e.g., time spent on different App screens, tracking when video content is started, paused, resumed, watched completely). This should be done as early as possible during App development as some early decisions can affect the custom events that can be collected (e.g., the choice of video player used in App development determines whether the number of minutes a video is watched can be tracked).…”

A Digital Health Intervention for Concussion: Development and Clinical Feasibility Study

“…Quantitative feedback using the MAUQ was broadly very positive, indicating high levels of usability and satisfaction among responders [ 46 ]. The MAUQ has been recently introduced and so has not yet gained widespread uptake; however, HeadOn has similar levels of usability compared with other digital interventions in the literature, including those targeting childhood feeding and pediatric burns [ 58 , 59 ]. The qualitative interviews also highlighted some important areas for refinement, including increasing the number of notifications, adding a remove unit function to the alcohol tracker, and altering the language used in the thought monitor.…”