User Perception of a Smartphone App to Promote Physical Activity Through Active Transportation: Inductive Qualitative Content Analysis Within the Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI) Study

Abstract

Background Physical inactivity is globally recognized as a major risk factor for morbidity, particularly the incidence of noncommunicable diseases. Increasing physical activity (PA) is therefore a public health priority. Engaging in active transportation (AT) is a viable approach for promoting daily PA levels. Mobile health interventions enable the promotion of AT to a larger population. The Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI) study was a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the ability of a behavior change program delivered via a smartphone app to motivate participants to increase their PA by engaging in AT. Objective This qualitative study aims to examine the acceptance and user experience of the app promoting AT that was used in the SCAMPI trial (the TRavelVU Plus app). Methods A total of 17 residents of Stockholm County (13 women; age range 25-61 years) who completed the 3-month app-based behavioral change program (delivered through the TRavelVU Plus app) in the SCAMPI randomized controlled trial during 2018 agreed to participate in a semistructured telephone-based interview. These participants were well representative of the whole intervention group (n=127) in terms of baseline characteristics such as age, sex, and area of residence. The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive qualitative content analysis. Results The content analysis revealed 2 themes and 4 subcategories. The first theme, “main motivators: monitoring and messages,” highlighted that monitoring AT and being able to set weekly goals using the app were the primary motivators reported by study participants. The second theme, “acceptable but modifiable,” reflects that the app was well accepted and effectively encouraged many participants to use more AT. Nevertheless, there were functions in the app that require modification. For example, while the semiautomated travel tracking feature was appreciated, participants found it time-consuming and unreliable at times. Conclusions This study contributes novel insight into adults’ experiences of using a mobile app to promote the use of AT. The results showed that the app was well accepted and that self-monitoring and goal setting were the main motivators to engage in more AT. The semiautomated tracking of AT was appreciated; however, it was also reported to be energy- and time-consuming when it failed to work. Thus, this feature should be improved going forward. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03086837; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03086837 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1186/s12889-018-5658-4

User Perceptions of eHealth and mHealth Services Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Diets: Systematic Review

“…Papers were published between 2016 and 2021, with the majority published after 2018 (n=18). The studies were undertaken in the United Kingdom [ 28 - 33 ], Italy [ 34 ], Belgium [ 35 , 36 ], Finland [ 37 , 38 ], Portugal [ 39 ], Sweden [ 40 ], Germany [ 41 ], the United States [ 42 - 46 ], Australia [ 47 - 49 ], and Canada [ 50 ]. Of the included studies, 11 were qualitative studies [ 32 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 40 , 42 - 44 , 46 , 47 , 50 ], and 12 were mixed methods studies [ 28 - 31 , 33 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 45 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…The studies were undertaken in the United Kingdom [ 28 - 33 ], Italy [ 34 ], Belgium [ 35 , 36 ], Finland [ 37 , 38 ], Portugal [ 39 ], Sweden [ 40 ], Germany [ 41 ], the United States [ 42 - 46 ], Australia [ 47 - 49 ], and Canada [ 50 ]. Of the included studies, 11 were qualitative studies [ 32 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 40 , 42 - 44 , 46 , 47 , 50 ], and 12 were mixed methods studies [ 28 - 31 , 33 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 45 , 48 , 49 ]. Most studies included participants of both sexes [ 28 - 41 , 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 , 49 , 50 ], except for 1 study [ 48 ] with men only, and 2 studies [ 42 , 45 ] with women only.…”

“…In the 23 studies, 769 participants between 18 and 75 years (mean age range 34-62 years) were included. Ten studies included healthy adults [ 28 , 31 , 34 - 36 , 38 - 40 , 46 , 49 , 50 ], and 13 included adults with obesity or who were overweight [ 29 , 30 , 33 , 37 , 42 , 45 , 47 , 48 ], adults with type 2 diabetes [ 43 ], or adult cancer survivors [ 29 , 32 , 44 ].…”

AIDS fighter health defense: protocol for a randomized controlled trial to test a game-based intervention to improve adolescents’ AIDS prevention ability

“…Goal setting has been identified as an effective behavior change procedure [ 15 ]. The storyline of the game is that HIV launched an attack on the human body, and the goal is to control the hero to fight with HIV and eliminate it.…”

Patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals' needs when designing the content of a mobile application for the clinical monitoring of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and home oxygen therapy: A user-centered design

“…Some research publications ( Wang and Qi, 2021 ; Bardus et al, 2019 ; Lindqvist et al, 2020 ; Thirumalai et al, 2018 , Thirumalai et al, 2018 ), have proposed a design process centered on users, with a participative approach in the development of mobile apps. The need for including focus groups has also been highlighted to correctly assess the situation, design the architecture of the data offered by the apps, and offer a higher-usability resource.…”