Schultchen Dana, Terhorst Yannik, Holderied Tanja, Stach Michael, Messner Eva-Maria, Baumeister Harald, Sander Lasse B
Clinical and Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 41, Ulm, Germany.
Research Methods, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 47, Ulm, Germany.
Int J Behav Med. 2021 Oct;28(5):552-560. doi: 10.1007/s12529-020-09944-y. Epub 2020 Nov 20.
Mindfulness-based interventions show positive effects on physical and mental health. For a better integration of mindfulness techniques in daily life, the use of apps may be promising. However, only a few studies have examined the quality of mindfulness apps using a validated standardized instrument. This review aims to evaluate the content, quality, and privacy features of mindfulness-focused apps from European commercial app stores.
An automated search engine (webcrawler) was used to identify mindfulness-focused apps in the European Apple App- and Google Play store. Content, quality, and privacy features were evaluated by two independent reviewers using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). The MARS assesses the subscales engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality.
Out of 605 identified apps, 192 met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality was moderate (M = 3.66, SD = 0.48). Seven apps were tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Most of the apps showed a lack of data security and no privacy policy. The five apps with the highest ratings are from a credible source, include a privacy policy, and are also based on standardized mindfulness and behavior change techniques.
The plethora of often low-quality apps in commercial app stores makes it difficult for users to identify a suitable app. Above that, the lack of scientific verification of effectiveness and shortcomings in privacy protection and security poses potential risks. So far, the potential of mindfulness-focused apps is not exploited in commercial app stores.
基于正念的干预措施对身心健康有积极影响。为了更好地将正念技巧融入日常生活，使用应用程序可能是一个有前景的方法。然而，只有少数研究使用经过验证的标准化工具来评估正念应用程序的质量。本综述旨在评估欧洲商业应用商店中专注于正念的应用程序的内容、质量和隐私功能。
使用自动搜索引擎（网络爬虫）在欧洲苹果应用商店和谷歌Play商店中识别专注于正念的应用程序。两名独立评审员使用移动应用程序评分量表（MARS）对内容、质量和隐私功能进行评估。MARS评估参与度、功能、美学和信息质量等子量表。
在识别出的605个应用程序中，192个符合纳入标准。总体质量中等（M = 3.66，标准差 = 0.48）。七个应用程序在随机对照试验（RCT）中进行了测试。大多数应用程序显示缺乏数据安全性且没有隐私政策。评分最高的五个应用程序来自可靠来源，包括隐私政策，并且还基于标准化的正念和行为改变技术。
商业应用商店中大量质量往往较低的应用程序使用户难以识别合适的应用程序。除此之外，缺乏有效性的科学验证以及隐私保护和安全性方面的缺陷带来了潜在风险。到目前为止，商业应用商店中尚未充分利用专注于正念的应用程序的潜力。
