ArticlePublic health nutrition2018
Can existing mobile apps support healthier food purchasing behaviour? Content analysis of nutrition content, behaviour change theory and user quality integration.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Usage of Mobile Applications or Mobile Health Technology to Improve Diet Quality in Adults.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic evaluation of digital nutrition promotion websites and apps for supporting parents to influence children's nutrition.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020Pooled it
- The App Behavior Change Scale: Creation of a Scale to Assess the Potential of Apps to Promote Behavior Change.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Pooled it
- Supporting healthier food choices through AI-tailored advice: A research agenda.PEC innovation · 2025Article
- Diet Quality and Past Changes in Food Consumption as Determinants of Intentions to Eat Less Meat and More Plant-Based Foods.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Digital Platform and Its Emerging Role in Decentralized Clinical Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Smartphone Apps for Food Purchase Choices: Scoping Review of Designs, Opportunities, and Challenges.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- The Gap in Sustainable Food Services in Public Institutions: The Perceptions of Young Consumers from Public Universities in the Madrid Region (Spain).Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
- Intervention strategies to promote healthy and sustainable food choices among parents with lower and higher socioeconomic status.BMC public health · 2022Article
- The Content, Quality, and Behavior Change Techniques in Nutrition-Themed Mobile Apps for Children in Canada: App Review and Evaluation Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Review
- An Assessment of Behavior Change Techniques in Two Versions of a Dietary Mobile Application: The Change4Life Food Scanner.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Co-design of a digital dietary intervention for adults at risk of type 2 diabetes.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Short and Long-Term Innovations on Dietary Behavior Assessment and Coaching: Present Efforts and Vision of the Pride and Prejudice Consortium.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Popular Evidence-Based Commercial Mental Health Apps: Analysis of Engagement, Functionality, Aesthetics, and Information Quality.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- Commercially Available Apps to Support Healthy Family Meals: User Testing of App Utility, Acceptability, and Engagement.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- User Perspectives of Diet-Tracking Apps: Reviews Content Analysis and Topic Modeling.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Article
- Role of Sensory Appeal, Nutritional Quality, Safety, and Health Determinants on Convenience Food Choice in an Academic Environment.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- EatSmart, a Web-Based and Mobile Healthy Eating Intervention for Disadvantaged People With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for a Pilot Mixed Methods Intervention Study.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- Safety concerns with consumer-facing mobile health applications and their consequences: a scoping review.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the quality of nutrition content and the integration of user quality components and behaviour change theory relevant to food purchasing behaviour in a sample of existing mobile apps.
designDescriptive comparative analysis of eleven mobile apps comprising an assessment of their alignment with existing evidence on nutrition, behaviour change and user quality, and their potential ability to support healthier food purchasing behaviour.
settingMobile apps freely available for public use in GoogePlay were assessed and scored according to agreed criteria to assess nutrition content quality and integration of behaviour change theory and user quality components. SUBJECTS: A sample of eleven mobile apps that met predefined inclusion criteria to ensure relevance and good quality.
resultsThe quality of the nutrition content varied. Improvements to the accuracy and appropriateness of nutrition content are needed to ensure mobile apps support a healthy behaviour change process and are accessible to a wider population. There appears to be a narrow focus towards behaviour change with an overemphasis on behavioural outcomes and a small number of behaviour change techniques, which may limit effectiveness. A significant effort from the user was required to use the mobile apps appropriately which may negatively influence user acceptability and subsequent utilisation.
conclusionsExisting mobile apps may offer a potentially effective approach to supporting healthier food purchasing behaviour but improvements in mobile app design are required to maximise their potential effectiveness. Engagement of mobile app users and nutrition professionals is recommended to support effective design.
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