Do Arabic weight-loss apps adhere to evidence-informed practices?
Transl Behav Med
; 6(3): 396-402, 2016 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27528528
ABSTRACT
Mobile technology has been used successfully for promoting health and weight loss and for treating obesity. There is a high prevalence of smartphone and tablet users among the Saudi population. This study aimed to identify whether current Arabic weight-loss apps had features that adhered to evidence-informed practices. The six most relevant app stores were systematically searched using the Arabic words for weight and diet (n = 298). All apps that met the inclusion criteria (n = 65) were downloaded and examined for adherence to 13 evidence-informed practices. Latent class analysis identified two subgroups of apps self-monitoring (15 % of apps) and advice-giving apps (85 %). The median number of evidence-informed practices was 1 (1, 2), with no apps having more than six and only nine apps including four to six. Meal planning was the most common feature (38 % of apps). These findings identify serious weaknesses in the currently available Arabic weight-loss apps. Thus, existing and future apps should include more features based on the best available evidence in the context of Arab culture.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Fidelidade a Diretrizes
/
Prática Clínica Baseada em Evidências
/
Programas de Redução de Peso
/
Aplicativos Móveis
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Transl Behav Med
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Arábia Saudita