Blomqvist Andreas, Strömberg Anna, Lundberg Marie, Bäck Maria, Jaarsma Tiny, Klompstra Leonie
Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Department of Cardiology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
PLoS One. 2025 May 22;20(5):e0309577. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309577. eCollection 2025.
Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent and debilitating global health issue, affecting approximately 65 million people worldwide. Physical activity is recommended for HF management, yet many people with HF remain sedentary. This study explored user experiences with an mHealth tool called the Activity Coach (the app), designed to support physical activity among people with HF.
The purpose of this study was to describe users' experiences with an app designed for supporting physical activity in people with HF.
Using a qualitative design, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with ten people with HF who used the app for 12 weeks. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, data items identified and coded and themes were generated based on these codes. The themes were subsequently defined and described.
The analysis yielded two themes: "Cultivating awareness of physical activity engagement" and "Motivation through enjoyment in the monitoring process and through physical and emotional changes". We found that while the app was found easy to use, users faced challenges in defining and tracking physical activity. The app increased users' awareness and motivation for physical activity and helped establish new routines. Users also experienced improved physical health and emotional well-being.
The app created physical activity awareness and motivation, and the study shows that mHealth may be used to increase physical activity motivation and engagement in people with heart failure.
心力衰竭（HF）是一个普遍存在且使人衰弱的全球健康问题，全球约有6500万人受其影响。建议通过体育活动来管理心力衰竭，但许多心力衰竭患者仍久坐不动。本研究探讨了一款名为“活动教练”（该应用程序）的移动健康工具的用户体验，该工具旨在支持心力衰竭患者进行体育活动。
本研究的目的是描述用户使用一款旨在支持心力衰竭患者进行体育活动的应用程序的体验。
采用定性设计，对10名使用该应用程序12周的心力衰竭患者进行了半结构化电话访谈。采用主题分析法对数据进行分析。访谈内容逐字记录，确定并编码数据项，并根据这些编码生成主题。随后对主题进行定义和描述。
分析得出两个主题：“培养对体育活动参与的意识”和“在监测过程中通过享受以及身体和情绪变化获得动力”。我们发现，虽然该应用程序易于使用，但用户在定义和跟踪体育活动方面面临挑战。该应用程序提高了用户对体育活动的意识和动力，并帮助建立了新的日常习惯。用户的身体健康和情绪状态也有所改善。
该应用程序提高了对体育活动的意识和动力，该研究表明，移动健康可用于提高心力衰竭患者的体育活动动力和参与度。
