Identifying app components that promote physical activity: a group concept mapping study.

Background: Digital interventions are a promising avenue to promote physical activity in healthy adults. Current practices recommend to include end-users early on in the development process. This study focuses on the wishes and needs of users regarding an a mobile health (mHealth) application that promotes physical activity in healthy adults, and on the differences between participants who do or do not meet the World Health Organization's recommendation of an equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity. Methods: We used a mixed-method design called Group Concept Mapping. In a first phase, we collected statements completing the prompt "In an app that helps me move more, I would like to see/ do/ learn the following…" during four brainstorming sessions with physically inactive individuals (n = 19). The resulting 90 statements were then sorted and rated by a new group of participants (n = 46). Sorting data was aggregated, and (dis)similarity matrices were created using multidimensional scaling. Hierarchical clustering was applied using Ward's method. Analyses were carried out for the entire group, a subgroup of active participants and a subgroup of inactive participants. Explorative analyses further investigated ratings of the clusters as a function of activity level, gender, age and education. Results: Six clusters of statements were identified, namely 'Ease-of-use and Self-monitoring', 'Technical Aspects and Advertisement', 'Personalised Information and Support', 'Motivational Aspects', 'Goal setting, goal review and rewards', and 'Social Features'. The cluster 'Ease-of-use and Self-monitoring' was rated highest in the overall group and the active subgroup, whereas the cluster 'Technical Aspects and Advertisement' was scored as most relevant in the inactive subgroup. For all groups, the cluster 'Social Features' was scored the lowest. Explorative analysis revealed minor between-group differences. Discussion: The present study identified priorities of users for an mHealth application that promotes physical activity. First, the application should be user-friendly and accessible. Second, the application should provide personalized support and information. Third, users should be able to monitor their behaviour and compare their current activity to their past performance. Fourth, users should be provided autonomy within the app, such as over which and how many notifications they would like to receive, and whether or not they want to engage with social features. These priorities can serve as guiding principles for developing mHealth applications to promote physical activity in the general population.

Content and quality of physical activity ontologies: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Ontologies are a formal way to represent knowledge in a particular field and have the potential to transform the field of health promotion and digital interventions. However, few researchers in physical activity (PA) are familiar with ontologies, and the field can be difficult to navigate. This systematic review aims to (1) identify ontologies in the field of PA, (2) assess their content and (3) assess their quality. METHODS: Databases were searched for ontologies on PA. Ontologies were included if they described PA or sedentary behavior, and were available in English language. We coded whether ontologies covered the user profile, activity, or context domain. For the assessment of quality, we used 12 criteria informed by the Open Biological and Biomedical Ontology (OBO) Foundry principles of good ontology practice. RESULTS: Twenty-eight ontologies met the inclusion criteria. All ontologies covered PA, and 19 included information on the user profile. Context was covered by 17 ontologies (physical context, n = 12; temporal context, n = 14; social context: n = 5). Ontologies met an average of 4.3 out of 12 quality criteria. No ontology met all quality criteria. DISCUSSION: This review did not identify a single comprehensive ontology of PA that allowed reuse. Nonetheless, several ontologies may serve as a good starting point for the promotion of PA. We provide several recommendations about the identification, evaluation, and adaptation of ontologies for their further development and use.