Benchmarking of Apps for Mobile Devices Targeted at Children’s Health

Abstract

Objective: to identify which of the apps available for children include information on monitoring growth and development, in a way similar to the Brazilian Children's Handbook. Method: this is an exploratory research study to survey apps designed to monitor children's growth and development. The “Benchmarking” technique was used to assist in the process. The search for apps was carried out in January 2023 in the Google Play and App Store stores. The data were tabulated in Microsoft Excel. After classifying the variables, absolute and relative frequencies were calculated. Results: a total of 624 apps were identified. Of these, 491 were found in Google Play and 133 in the App Store. After analyzing the app descriptions and excluding duplicates, 48 software options were selected for the final sample. 41% (19) of the apps are in Portuguese, 36% (17) of those selected intend to record children's development, and only 2% (1) store children's growth, development and vaccination data. Conclusion: the absence of an app similar to Children's Handbook for monitoring and recording children's health within the Unified Health System scope was evidenced.