Prescribing fitness apps for people with cancer: a preliminary assessment of content and quality of commercially available apps

Martín-Payo, Rubén; Harris, Jenny; Armes, Jo

doi:10.1007/s11764-019-00760-2

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The behavioral change techniques used in each app were assessed using the BCT taxonomy version 1 (BCTTV1), which was originally developed by Michie et al [ 18 ] and has been shown to be a comprehensive, valid, and reliable approach for assessing techniques for changing behavior in pregnancy apps [ 7 ]. Scheoppe et al [ 19 ] and Martín-Payo et al [ 20 ] have applied a dichotomous scoring system to BCTs to indicate the absence (absence=0) or presence (presence=1) of each technique, permitting a total BCT score per app (possible score 0-93) to be generated.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Pregnancy Apps in Spain: Systematic Search on App Stores

Muñoz-Mancisidor

Martín-Payo

González-Méndez

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Women consult information in mobile apps (apps) during pregnancy, and even obstetrics specialists highlight that pregnancy is the ideal moment for the use of apps as consultation sources. However, the high number of apps designed for pregnancy requires a careful assessment to determine their suitability before recommendation. Objective The aim of this study is to identify the apps available in Spanish that can be recommended based on their content, behavior change techniques (BCTs), and quality as a complementary tool during pregnancy. Methods A systematic search on app stores to identify apps was performed in the Apple App Store and Google Play with the subject term “pregnancy.” The apps meeting the following criteria were chosen: pregnancy-related content, free, and available in Spanish. An app was excluded if it was classified as a game or entertainment and thus lacking an educational or health aim and if it did not target the population under study. The selected apps were downloaded, and their quality was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS), with the BCTs included evaluated using the BCT taxonomy version 1 and its content. Results A total of 457 apps were identified, 25 of which were downloaded for assessment (5.6%). The median for objective and subjective quality was 2.94 (IQR 2.71-3.46) and 1.75 (IQR 1.25-2.25), respectively. Regarding content, the median of topics included in the apps was 23 (IQR 16-23), with weight gain, nutrition, fetal development, and physical activity being the most common. The median number of BCTs was 12 (IQR 0.5-3.5). The most frequently identified BCTs in the apps were “Self-Monitoring of Outcomes,” followed by “Goal Behavior” and “Instructions.” Statistically significant correlations were observed between objective quality and content (ρ=0.624; P=.001), subjective quality and content (ρ=0.638; P=.001), objective quality and BCTs (ρ=0.672; P<.001), subjective quality and BCTs (ρ=0.623; P<.001), and BCTs and content (ρ=0.580; P=.002). Conclusions The results of this study suggest that only a small percentage of free pregnancy apps available in Spanish should be recommended. The apps with the best MARS scores were those that addressed a higher number of topics and included a higher number of BCTs. Those with the best content and quality, and a higher number of BCTs included could be recommended by health professionals.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Pregnancy Apps in Spain: Systematic Search on App Stores

Muñoz-Mancisidor

Martín-Payo

González-Méndez

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

Self Cite

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“…Quality was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). 24 This scale has been widely used 24–28 and has acceptable reliability and validity. 23,25 The scale includes 19 items grouped in four domains: 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the quality and content of mobile apps to support lifestyle modifications following a transient ischaemic attack or ‘minor’ stroke

et al. 2021

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Objective Secondary prevention is recommended to reduce cardiovascular risk after transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or ‘minor’ stroke. Mobile health interventions can provide accessible, cost-effective approaches to address modifiable risk factors, such as physical inactivity, hypertension and being overweight. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of apps for supporting lifestyle change following a TIA or ‘minor’ stroke. Methods Systematic searches of Google Play and the Apple Store were carried out to identify mobile apps released between 1 November 2019 and 1 October 2021. Keywords were used including stroke, TIA, lifestyle, prevention and recovery. Quality was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). Common components were identified with the Behaviour Change Technique (BCT) Taxonomy. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the performance results for each app. Results Searches identified 2545 potential apps. Thirty remained after removing duplicates and screening titles and descriptions. Six were eligible after full review of their content. All apps included at least one BCT (range: 1–16 BCTs). The most frequent BCTs included ‘information about health consequences’ ( n = 5/6), ‘verbal or visual communication from a credible source’ ( n = 4/6) and ‘action planning’ ( n = 4/6). The mean MARS score was 2.57/5 (SD: 0.51; range: 1.78–3.36). No apps were of ‘good’ overall quality (scoring more than 4/5). Conclusions This is the first review of mobile health interventions for this population. Only a small number of apps were available. None were targeted specifically at people with a TIA or ‘minor’ stroke. Overall quality was low. Further work is needed to develop and test accessible, user designed, and evidence-informed digital interventions in this population.

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“…However, this gave us a unique opportunity to compare the feasibility of online vs in-person exercise sessions. Although technology and fitness-based apps are widely available [ 34 , 35 ] and have been the foundation of previous physical activity-based studies [ 36 , 37 ], a majority of our sample had never used a virtual platform for exercise. Although the participants preferred exercising as a group in-person, the virtual sessions were equally enjoyable for the participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility of a yoga, aerobic and stretching-toning exercise program for adult cancer survivors: the STAYFit trial

Gothe

Erlenbach

2021

J Cancer Surviv

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Background The use of yoga as a mind–body practice has become increasingly popular among clinical populations and older adults who use this practice to manage age and chronic disease-related symptoms. Although yoga continues to gain popularity among practitioners and researchers, pilot studies that examine its feasibility and acceptability, especially among cancer survivors, are limited. Feasibility studies play a critical role in determining whether the target population is likely to engage with larger scale efficacy and effectiveness trials. In this paper we present feasibility and acceptability data from a 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted with adult cancer survivors. Methods Participants n = 78 (Mean age: 55 years) were randomized to one of three groups: a Hatha yoga, aerobic exercise, or stretching-toning control group with group exercise classes held for 150 min/week for 12 weeks. Herein we report feasibility and acceptability, including enrollment rates, attendance, attrition and adverse events, and participant feedback and satisfaction data. Results Of the 233 adults screened, 109 were eligible and 78 randomized to one of the three intervention arms. Session attendance was high for all groups (75.5–89.5%) and 17 participants dropped out during the 12-week intervention. Program satisfaction was high (4.8 or higher out of 5) and no adverse events were reported. One cohort ( n = 15) of the intervention transitioned to remote intervention delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feasibility data from these participants suggested that synchronized group exercise classes via Zoom with a live instructor were acceptable and enjoyable. Participant feedback regarding most and least helpful aspects of the program as well as suggestions for future yoga interventions are summarized. Conclusions Overall, the yoga intervention was highly feasible and acceptable. The feasibility parameters from this trial can aid researchers in estimating recruitment rates for desired sample sizes to successfully randomize and retain cancer survivors in short- and long-term yoga-based efficacy and effectiveness trials. The findings also provide evidence to clinicians who can recommend up to 150 min of a combination of exercises—aerobic, yoga, or stretching-toning to their cancer patients in order to improve health and wellbeing during cancer survivorship.

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Prescribing fitness apps for people with cancer: a preliminary assessment of content and quality of commercially available apps

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

Content, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Pregnancy Apps in Spain: Systematic Search on App Stores

Content, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Pregnancy Apps in Spain: Systematic Search on App Stores

A review of the quality and content of mobile apps to support lifestyle modifications following a transient ischaemic attack or ‘minor’ stroke

Feasibility of a yoga, aerobic and stretching-toning exercise program for adult cancer survivors: the STAYFit trial

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