Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Nov 5, 2018
Date Accepted: Jan 25, 2019
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Use of Weight-Management Mobile Phone Applications in Saudi Arabia: an Online Survey
ABSTRACT
Background:
In recent years, use of mobile phone weight-management applications (apps) has increased significantly. Weight-management apps were found effective in promoting health and managing weight. However, data on user perception and on barriers to app usage are scarce.
Objective:
To investigate use of weight-management apps and barriers to use as well as reasons for discontinuing use in a sample of mobile phone users in Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
Mobile phone users aged 18 years and above from the general public in Saudi Arabia completed an online survey. The survey included questions on weight-management app usage patterns, user perceptions concerning weight-management, efficacy of weight-management apps, and reasons for discontinuing use. We classified participants into normal-weight (body mass index (BMI):18.5 - 24.9 kg/m2) and overweight or obese (BMI: > 24.9 kg/m2).
Results:
The survey included 1191 participants, 513 of them used weight-management apps. More overweight or obese respondents used these apps compared to normal-weight respondents [(319/513, 62.18% vs.194/513, 37.82%)]. App features that overweight or obese users were most interested in were mainly the possibility to be monitored by a specialist and barcode identification of calorie content, while normal-weight users mostly preferred availability of nutrition information of food items. Reasons for non-continuance use for overweight or obese respondents were mainly that monitoring by a specialist was not offered (80/236, 33.90%) and app was not in the local language (48/236, 20.34%). Normal-weight users found that the main reason for non-continuance was the app language (45/144, 31.25%) and difficulty of use (30/144, 20.83%).
Conclusions:
To better address needs of both normal-weight and overweight or obese adults, improved app designs that offer monitoring by a specialist are needed. Developers may consider ways of overcoming barriers to use such as language by developing local-language apps, which can improve the efficacy of such apps and help spread their use.
Citation
