The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC USA.
Transl Behav Med. 2011 Dec;1(4):523-9. doi: 10.1007/s13142-011-0076-5.
Little is known about how much smartphone apps for weight control adhere to evidence-informed practices. The aim of this study was to review and summarize the content of available weight control apps. Information on content, user rating, and price was extracted from iTunes on September 25, 2009. Apps (n = 204) were coded for adherence to 13 evidence-informed practices for weight control. Latent class analysis was used to identify subgroups of apps based on endorsement practices. Only a small percentage of apps had five or more of the 13 practices (15%). Latent class analysis revealed three main types of apps: diet, physical activity, and weight journals (19%); dietary advice and journals (34%); and weight trackers (46%). User ratings were not associated with apps from these three classes. Many apps have insufficient evidence-informed content. Research is needed that seeks to develop, improve, and evaluate these apps.
目前对于体重控制的智能手机应用程序在多大程度上遵循循证实践知之甚少。本研究的目的是回顾和总结现有的体重控制应用程序的内容。于 2009 年 9 月 25 日从 iTunes 上提取了关于内容、用户评分和价格的信息。对 204 个应用程序进行了编码,以评估其对 13 种体重控制循证实践的遵循程度。潜在类别分析用于根据支持实践来确定应用程序的亚组。只有一小部分应用程序具有 13 种实践中的 5 种或更多种(15%)。潜在类别分析显示了三种主要类型的应用程序:饮食、体力活动和体重日记(19%);饮食建议和日记(34%);体重追踪器(46%)。用户评分与这三个类别的应用程序无关。许多应用程序的循证内容不足。需要开展研究,旨在开发、改进和评估这些应用程序。