Do Arabic weight-loss apps adhere to evidence-informed practices?

Abstract

Mobile technology has been used successfully for promoting health and weight loss and for treating obesity. There is a high prevalence of smartphone and tablet users among the Saudi population. This study aimed to identify whether current Arabic weight-loss apps had features that adhered to evidence-informed practices. The six most relevant app stores were systematically searched using the Arabic words for weight and diet (n=298). All apps that met the inclusion criteria (n=65) were downloaded and examined for adherence to 13 evidence-informed practices. Latent class analysis identified two subgroups of apps: self-monitoring (15 % of apps) and advice-giving apps (85 %). The median number of evidence-informed practices was 1 (1, 2), with no apps having more than six and only nine apps including four to six. Meal planning was the most common feature (38 % of apps). These findings identify serious weaknesses in the currently available Arabic weight-loss apps. Thus, existing and future apps should include more features based on the best available evidence in the context of Arab culture.

Medical Correctness and User Friendliness of Available Apps for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Systematic Search Combined With Guideline Adherence and Usability Evaluation (Preprint)

“…This alarming result is concordant with other studies examining the content of mHealth apps [38][39][40][41]. The "European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation 2015" [42] is a well-known and highly respected international medical guideline, which is evidence-based on current literature.…”

“…Some studies evaluated only a representative sample [35,64] or searched only in one operating system [40,65]. Only a few previous studies evaluated the adherence of an app to an existing medical guideline [38,39,66].…”

Relationship Between Evidence Requirements, User Expectations, and Actual Experiences: Usability Evaluation of the Twazon Arabic Weight Loss App (Preprint)

“…The Twazon app aimed to fill a gap in the research and development of evidence informed [9] Arabic weight-loss apps and interventions in order to find the optimum balance between evidence requirements and user needs. The participant experiences from the Twazon intervention provide insight into the features of the app which were the least interesting, the most effective or in need of improvement.…”

Usability Testing of Fitness Mobile Application : Methodology and Quantitative Results

“…Alnasser et al examined 65 Arabic fitness apps to determine the level of adherence for each app to the 13 evidence-informed practices [33]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture determined these 13 evidence-informed practices [34]: 1-BMI is determined and explained; 2-fruits and vegetables are recommended and tracked for daily servings; 3-Physical activities are recommended for daily use; 4-recommendations for drinking water and tracking the daily consumption; 5-recording and tracking the daily consumption of food; 6-a calorie tracker is provided for maintaining calorie balance; 7-advising goal-setting to lose 1 to 2 lb per week; 8-portion control information is provided; 9-Advising users about ways to read and understand nutrition labels; 10-a weight-tracking feature should be provided; 11-physical activities are tracked for daily use; 12-recommending and providing a tool for planning meals; 13-providing a social network among users or allowing users to share via popular social networks, for example Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat.…”