Background: Despite the worldwide growth in mobile health (mHealth) tools and the possible benefits for both patients and health care providers, the adoption of mHealth is low, and only a limited number of studies have examined the intention to download mHealth apps.
Objective: In this study, we investigated individuals' preferences in the adoption of a health app.
Methods: We conducted a discrete choice experimental study in 3 countries (Spain: n=800, Germany: n=800, and the Netherlands: n=416) with 4 different attributes and levels (ie, price: €1.99 vs €4.99 [a currency exchange rate of €1=US $1.09 is applicable] vs for free, data protection: data protection vs no information, recommendation: patients' association vs doctors, and manufacturer: medical association vs pharmaceutical company). Participants were randomly assigned. For the analyses, we used the conditional logistic model separately for each country.
Results: The results showed that price and data protection were considered important factors that significantly increased the probability to download an mHealth app. In general, the source of the recommendation and the manufacturer affected the probability to download the mHealth app less. However, in Germany and the Netherlands, we found that if the app was manufactured by a pharmaceutical company, the probability to download the mHealth app decreased.
Conclusions: mHealth tools are highly promising to reduce health care costs and increase the effectiveness of traditional health interventions and therapies. Improving data protection, reducing costs, and creating sound business models are the major driving forces to increase the adoption of mHealth apps in the future. It is thereby essential to create trustworthy standards for mobile apps, whereby prices, legislation concerning data protection, and health professionals can have a leading role to inform the potential consumers.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/48335 | DOI Listing |
JMIR Form Res
January 2025
Mind-Body Medicine Lab, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States.
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December 2024
Boston University's and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, 73 Mount Wayte Avenue, Framingham, MA, 01702, United States, 1 508 935-3461.
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BMC Med Inform Decis Mak
December 2024
Fakher Mechatronic Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Mobile technologies enable Parkinson's patients to improve their quality of life, manage symptoms, and enhance overall well-being through various applications (apps). There is no integrated list of specific capabilities available to cater to the unique needs of Parkinson's patient-focused mobile apps.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Digit Health
December 2024
Discipline of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Introduction: Anxiety and depression are major causes of disability in Arab countries, yet resources for mental health services are insufficient. Mobile devices may improve mental health care delivery (mental m-Health), but the Arab region's mental m-Health app landscape remains under-documented. This study aims to systematically assess the features, quality, and digital safety of mental m-Health apps available in the Arab marketplace.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Form Res
December 2024
School of Computer Science, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Background: People with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) experience a range of symptoms that increase and decline as a result of the natural hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle. For the diagnosis of PMDD, symptom severity needs to be recorded daily for at least two symptomatic cycles. In recent years, the rise in interest in Femtech (tools and technology developed to address women's health issues) has resulted in a large quantity of "period-tracking apps" being developed and downloaded.
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