J 2017

Who are mobile app users from healthy lifestyle websites? Analysis of patterns of app use and user characteristics

ELAVSKY, Steriani, David ŠMAHEL and Hana MACHÁČKOVÁ

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

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

50100 5.1 Psychology and cognitive sciences

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

Impact factor

Impact factor: 2.521

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14230/17:00095005

Organization unit

Faculty of Social Studies

UT WoS

000418894100026

Keywords in English

Mobile app users; Smartphones; Healthy lifestyle websites; Individual differences

Tags

Tags

International impact, Reviewed
Změněno: 9/9/2020 09:14, Mgr. Blanka Farkašová

Abstract

V originále

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 project
Name: 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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