ELAVSKY, Steriani, David ŠMAHEL and Hana MACHÁČKOVÁ. Who are mobile app users from healthy lifestyle websites? Analysis of patterns of app use and user characteristics. Translational Behavioral Medicine. Springer, 2017, vol. 7, No 4, p. 891-901. ISSN 1869-6716. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13142-017-0525-x.
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Basic information
Original name Who are mobile app users from healthy lifestyle websites? Analysis of patterns of app use and user characteristics
Authors ELAVSKY, Steriani (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), David ŠMAHEL (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution) and Hana MACHÁČKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution).
Edition Translational Behavioral Medicine, Springer, 2017, 1869-6716.
Other information
Original language English
Type of outcome Article in a journal
Field of Study 50100 5.1 Psychology and cognitive sciences
Country of publisher United States of America
Confidentiality degree is not subject to a state or trade secret
WWW URL
Impact factor Impact factor: 2.521
RIV identification code RIV/00216224:14230/17:00095005
Organization unit Faculty of Social Studies
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13142-017-0525-x
UT WoS 000418894100026
Keywords in English Mobile app users; Smartphones; Healthy lifestyle websites; Individual differences
Tags rivok
Tags International impact, Reviewed
Changed by Changed by: Mgr. Blanka Farkašová, učo 97333. Changed: 9/9/2020 09:14.
Abstract
The use of online communities and websites for health information has proliferated along with the use of mobile apps for managing health behaviors such as diet and exercise. The scarce evidence available to date suggests that users of these websites and apps differ in significant ways from non-users but most data come from US- and UK-based populations. In this study, we recruited users of nutrition, weight management, and fitness-oriented websites in the Czech Republic to better understand who uses mobile apps and who does not, including user sociodemographic and psychological profiles. Respondents aged 13–39 provided information on app use through an online survey (n = 669; M age = 24.06, SD = 5.23; 84% female). Among users interested in health topics, respondents using apps for managing nutrition, weight, and fitness (n = 403, 60%) were more often female, reported more frequent smartphone use, and more expert phone skills. In logistic regression models, controlling for sociodemographics, web, and phone activity, mHealth app use was predicted by levels of excessive exercise (OR 1.346, 95% CI 1.061–1.707). Among app users, we found differences in types of apps used by gender, age, and weight status. Controlling for sociodemographics and web and phone use, drive for thinness predicted the frequency of use of apps for healthy eating, keeping a diet, and losing weight, whereas excessive exercise predicted the use of apps for keeping a diet, losing weight, and managing sport/exercise. Sensation seeking was negatively associated with the frequency of use of apps for maintaining weight. These data unveil the user characteristics of mHealth app users from nutrition, weight management, and fitness websites, helping inform subsequent design of mHealth apps and mobile intervention strategies.
Links
GA15-05696S, research and development projectName: Tenká hranice mezi poruchou a zdravým životním stylem: zkoumání online chování dnešních mladých lidí (Acronym: THINLINE)
Investor: Czech Science Foundation, The thin line between disorder and a healthy lifestyle: Investigating the online behavior of today’s youth
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