Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare, School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2NU, UK.
Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
Nutrients. 2023 Aug 6;15(15):3476. doi: 10.3390/nu15153476.
Smartphone apps might provide an opportunity to support the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, a healthy diet designed to help lower blood pressure. This study evaluated DASH diet self-management apps based on their quality, likely effectiveness, and data privacy/security to identify the most suitable app(s). A systematic search and content analysis were conducted of all DASH diet apps available in Google Play and the Apple App Store in the UK in November 2022. Apps were included if they provided DASH diet tracking. A previous systematic literature review found some commercial apps not found in the app store search, and these were also included in this review. Three reviewers used the App Quality Evaluation Tool (AQEL) to assess each app's quality across seven domains: knowledge acquisition, skill development, behaviour change, purpose, functionality, and appropriateness for adults with hypertension. Domains with a score of 8 or higher were considered high-quality. Two reviewers assessed the apps' data privacy and security and then coded Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) linked to the Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF) underpinning the likely effectiveness of the apps. Seven DASH diet apps were assessed, showing the limited availability of apps supporting DASH diet self-management. The AQEL assessment showed that three apps scored higher than eight in most of the AQEL domains. Nineteen BCTs were used across the apps, linked to nine TDF action mechanisms that may support DASH diet self-management behaviours. Four apps met standards for privacy and security. All seven apps with self-monitoring functionality had sufficient theoretical basis to demonstrate likely effectiveness. However, most had significant quality and data security shortcomings. Only two apps, NOOM and DASH To TEN, were found to have both adequate quality and security and were thus deemed suitable to support DASH diet self-management.
智能手机应用程序可能为支持“停止高血压的饮食方法”（DASH）饮食提供机会，这是一种旨在帮助降低血压的健康饮食。本研究根据质量、可能的效果和数据隐私/安全性评估 DASH 饮食自我管理应用程序，以确定最合适的应用程序。2022 年 11 月，在英国的谷歌播放和苹果应用商店中对所有可用的 DASH 饮食应用程序进行了系统搜索和内容分析。如果应用程序提供 DASH 饮食跟踪，则将其纳入研究。先前的系统文献综述发现了一些在应用商店搜索中找不到的商业应用程序，这些应用程序也包含在本综述中。三位审查员使用应用程序质量评估工具（AQEL）评估每个应用程序在七个领域的质量：知识获取、技能发展、行为改变、目的、功能和适合高血压成年人。得分在 8 分或以上的被认为是高质量的。两位审查员评估了应用程序的数据隐私和安全性，然后根据支持应用程序可能效果的理论框架（TDF）对与行为改变技术（BCT）相关的应用程序进行编码。评估了七个 DASH 饮食应用程序，表明支持 DASH 饮食自我管理的应用程序的可用性有限。AQEL 评估表明，三个应用程序在大多数 AQEL 领域的得分都高于 8 分。19 个 BCT 被应用于应用程序中，与 TDF 九个行动机制相联系，这些机制可能支持 DASH 饮食自我管理行为。四个应用程序符合隐私和安全标准。所有具有自我监测功能的七个应用程序都具有足够的理论基础，以证明其可能的效果。然而，大多数应用程序都存在显著的质量和数据安全缺陷。只有两个应用程序，NOOM 和 DASH To TEN，被认为既有足够的质量又有足够的安全性，因此被认为适合支持 DASH 饮食自我管理。
