Browsing by Author "West, Joshua H"
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- ItemApps of steel: are exercise apps providing consumers with realistic expectations?: a content analysis of exercise apps for presence of behavior change theory.(2013-04-03) Cowan, Logan T; Van Wagenen, Sarah A; Brown, Brittany A; Hedin, Riley J; Seino-Stephan, Yukiko; Hall, P Cougar; West, Joshua HOBJECTIVE To quantify the presence of health behavior theory constructs in iPhone apps targeting physical activity METHODS This study used a content analysis of 127 apps from Apple s App Store Health And Fitness category Coders downloaded the apps and then used an established theory based instrument to rate each app s inclusion of theoretical constructs from prominent behavior change theories Five common items were used to measure 20 theoretical constructs for a total of 100 items A theory score was calculated for each app Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with higher theory scores RESULTS Apps were generally observed to be lacking in theoretical content Theory scores ranged from 1 to 28 on a 100 point scale The health belief model was the most prevalent theory accounting for 32 of all constructs Regression analyses indicated that higher priced apps and apps that addressed a broader activity spectrum were associated with higher total theory scores CONCLUSION It is not unexpected that apps contained only minimal theoretical content given that app developers come from a variety of backgrounds and many are not trained in the application of health behavior theory The relationship between price and theory score corroborates research indicating that higher quality apps are more expensive There is an opportunity for health and behavior change experts to partner with app developers to incorporate behavior change theories into the development of apps These future collaborations between health behavior change experts and app developers could foster apps superior in both theory and programming possibly resulting in better health outcomes
- ItemThere's an app for that: content analysis of paid health and fitness apps.(2012-05-15) West, Joshua H; Hall, P Cougar; Hanson, Carl L; Barnes, Michael D; Giraud-Carrier, Christophe; Barrett, JamesBACKGROUND The introduction of Apple s iPhone provided a platform for developers to design third party apps which greatly expanded the functionality and utility of mobile devices for public health OBJECTIVE This study provides an overview of the developers written descriptions of health and fitness apps and appraises each app s potential for influencing behavior change METHODS Data for this study came from a content analysis of health and fitness app descriptions available on iTunes during February 2011 The Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool HECAT and the Precede Proceed Model PPM were used as frameworks to guide the coding of 3336 paid apps RESULTS Compared to apps with a cost less than US 0 99 apps exceeding US 0 99 were more likely to be scored as intending to promote health or prevent disease 92 55 1925 3336 vs 83 59 1411 3336 PUnder 001 to be credible or trustworthy 91 11 1895 3336 vs 86 14 1454 3349 PUnder 001 and more likely to be used personally or recommended to a health care client 72 93 1517 2644 vs 66 77 1127 2644 PUnder 001 Apps related to healthy eating physical activity and personal health and wellness were more common than apps for substance abuse mental and emotional health violence prevention and safety and sexual and reproductive health Reinforcing apps were less common than predisposing and enabling apps Only 1 86 62 3336 of apps included all 3 factors ie predisposing enabling and reinforcing CONCLUSIONS Development efforts could target public health behaviors for which few apps currently exist Furthermore practitioners should be cautious when promoting the use of apps as it appears most provide health related information predisposing or make attempts at enabling behavior with almost none including all theoretical factors recommended for behavior change