User-Centered Design of a Mobile App for Weight and Health Management in Adolescents With Complex Health Needs: Qualitative Study

Abstract

BackgroundGrowing research has been conducted into the deployment and evaluation of mobile technology interventions for weight management in adolescents. However, no work has yet been conducted toward the development of these technologies for adolescents with complex health needs receiving specialized tertiary-level health care.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to conduct a user-centered needs assessment of adolescents interested in weight management with complex health needs requiring specialized health care services, their parents, and health care providers (HCPs) to inform the design and development of a mobile app for weight and health management.MethodsA qualitative study design was employed. Participants were recruited from two tertiary health care centers. Separate audiotaped focus group interviews were conducted with adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, parents, and HCPs. Interviews were transcribed, and field notes were collected by research staff. Iterative simple content analysis was performed independently by 4 research team members using computer software NVivo (QSR International) 10.0.ResultsA total of 19 adolescents, 16 parents, and 21 HCPs were interviewed. Qualitative analysis revealed seven major themes related to app functionality: healthy eating, social support, self-monitoring, communicating with HCPs, supporting mental health, gamification and incentives, and user interface (UI) design. Adolescents provided several ideas related to each feature, whereas parents’ views focused on assistance with meal planning and greater access to HCPs. HCPs viewed the app as a novel and more acceptable platform to connect remotely with adolescents than conventional methods. They also strongly endorsed the value of social support capabilities and the ability to connect with an HCP.ConclusionsThis is the first study to conduct a qualitative needs assessment in adolescents receiving specialized health care services toward the design of a mobile app for weight and health management. Our results indicate that core components of the app should include tailored meal recommendations and assistance with meal planning, social networking for peer support, customized and convenient tracking, remote access to HCPs, features to support mental health, and an attractive and engaging UI. These findings will be used to develop and evaluate a mobile app targeting adolescents with complex health needs.

Strategies to Engage Adolescents in Digital Health Interventions for Obesity Prevention and Management

“…Two recent studies utilize co-design approaches for the development of digital technologies to address adolescent overweight and obesity [ 56 , 57 ]. Through a co-design process to develop a smartphone app to support weight and health management, Rivera et al [ 56 ] were able to identify adolescents require personalized assistance with meal planning, including more convenient and efficient ways to plan meals and make healthier food choices throughout the day. This feature is not available in current commercial apps, which predominately focus on self-monitoring and caloric monitoring of food intake [ 58 ].…”

Identification of Type 2 Diabetes Management Mobile App Features and Engagement Strategies: Modified Delphi Approach

“…The first differentiating category was tracking, logging, and making dietary recommendations [ 34 ]. A qualitative study for weight and health management design indicates that the core components of the app should include tailored meal recommendations and assistance with meal planning [ 35 ]. For the nutrition education feature, a review found that the most useful mobile health app would help the patient with lifestyle education, self-management, and designing a suitable diet [ 36 ].…”

A Design Thinking Approach to the Design of a Digital Tool to Support People on a Weight Management Journey

“…Self-monitoring is the feature that has been identified in a number of reviews as the dominant feature in mobile app based weight management interventions (Pellegrini, et al, 2015;Zhao, et al, 2016;Payne, et al, 2015). A recent study found that 75% of top rated smartphone apps for weight loss were narrowly reliant on a food database and calorie tracking (Rivera, et al, 2018). Further to that observation Rivera et al (2018) found that their client group identified assistance with food planning as the key function in an app, with only 11% of apps providing this assistance.…”

“…A recent study found that 75% of top rated smartphone apps for weight loss were narrowly reliant on a food database and calorie tracking (Rivera, et al, 2018). Further to that observation Rivera et al (2018) found that their client group identified assistance with food planning as the key function in an app, with only 11% of apps providing this assistance. Similarly, this lack of focus on meal planning as a potentially powerful behaviour change tool, has been overlooked in scientific study (Ducrot, et al, 2017) .…”