School of Computing and Information Technology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2023 Jan 19;11:e37716. doi: 10.2196/37716.
Overweight and obesity have been linked to several serious health problems and medical conditions. With more than a quarter of the young population having weight problems, the impacts of overweight and obesity on this age group are particularly critical. Mobile health (mHealth) apps that support and encourage positive health behaviors have the potential to achieve better health outcomes. These apps represent a unique opportunity for young people (age range 10-24 years), for whom mobile phones are an indispensable part of their everyday living. However, despite the potential of mHealth apps for improved engagement in health interventions, user adherence to these health interventions in the long term is low.
The aims of this research were to (1) review and analyze mHealth apps targeting obesity and overweight and (2) propose guidelines for the inclusion of user interface design patterns (UIDPs) in the development of mHealth apps for obese young people that maximizes the impact and retention of behavior change techniques (BCTs).
A search for apps was conducted in Google Play Store using the following search string: ["best weight loss app for obese teens 2020"] OR ["obesity applications for teens"] OR ["popular weight loss applications"]. The most popular apps available in both Google Play and Apple App Store that fulfilled the requirements within the inclusion criteria were selected for further analysis. The designs of 17 mHealth apps were analyzed for the inclusion of BCTs supported by various UIDPs. Based on the results of the analysis, BCT-UI design guidelines were developed. The usability of the guidelines was presented using a prototype app.
The results of our analysis showed that only half of the BCTs are implemented in the reviewed apps, with a subset of those BCTs being supported by UIDPs. Based on these findings, we propose design guidelines that associate the BCTs with UIDPs. The focus of our guidelines is the implementation of BCTs using design patterns that are impactful for the young people demographics. The UIDPs are classified into 6 categories, with each BCT having one or more design patterns appropriate for its implementation. The applicability of the proposed guidelines is presented by mock-ups of the mHealth app "Morphe," intended for young people (age range 10-24 years). The presented use cases showcase the 5 main functionalities of Morphe: learn, challenge, statistics, social interaction, and settings.
The app analysis results showed that the implementation of BCTs using UIDPs is underutilized. The purposed guidelines will help developers in designing mHealth apps for young people that are easy to use and support behavior change. Future steps involve the development and deployment of the Morphe app and the validation of its usability and effectiveness.
超重和肥胖与许多严重的健康问题和医疗状况有关。由于超过四分之一的年轻人存在体重问题，超重和肥胖对这一年龄组的影响尤其严重。支持和鼓励积极健康行为的移动健康 (mHealth) 应用程序有可能实现更好的健康结果。这些应用程序为年轻人（年龄在 10-24 岁之间）提供了独特的机会，因为手机是他们日常生活中不可或缺的一部分。然而，尽管 mHealth 应用程序在改善健康干预措施的参与度方面具有潜力，但用户对这些健康干预措施的长期坚持率却很低。
本研究旨在 (1) 回顾和分析针对肥胖和超重的 mHealth 应用程序，以及 (2) 提出在为肥胖年轻人开发 mHealth 应用程序时纳入用户界面设计模式 (UIDP) 的指南，以最大限度地提高行为改变技术 (BCT) 的影响和保留率。
在 Google Play 商店中使用以下搜索字符串搜索应用程序：["最适合肥胖青少年的 2020 年减肥应用"] 或 ["青少年肥胖应用"] 或 ["流行的减肥应用"]。选择符合纳入标准的在 Google Play 和 Apple App Store 中都可用的最受欢迎的应用程序进行进一步分析。分析了 17 个 mHealth 应用程序的设计，以纳入各种 UIDP 支持的 BCT。基于分析结果，制定了 BCT-UI 设计指南。使用原型应用程序展示了指南的可用性。
我们的分析结果表明，只有一半的 BCT 被纳入了已审查的应用程序，其中一部分 BCT 由 UIDP 支持。基于这些发现，我们提出了将 BCT 与 UIDP 相关联的设计指南。我们指南的重点是使用对年轻人有影响力的设计模式来实现 BCT。UIDP 分为 6 类，每个 BCT 都有一个或多个适合其实施的设计模式。通过针对年轻人（年龄在 10-24 岁之间）的 Morphe 移动健康应用程序的模型展示了拟议指南的适用性。展示的用例展示了 Morphe 的 5 个主要功能：学习、挑战、统计、社交互动和设置。
应用程序分析结果表明，使用 UIDP 实施 BCT 的情况尚未得到充分利用。拟议的指南将帮助开发人员为年轻人设计易于使用且支持行为改变的 mHealth 应用程序。下一步是开发和部署 Morphe 应用程序，并验证其可用性和有效性。
