Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29362211›Full record

ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2018

Prevalence of Health App Use Among Older Adults in Germany: National Survey.

Peter Rasche, Matthias Wille, Christina Bröhl, Sabine Theis, Katharina Schäfer, Matthias Knobe, Alexander Mertens

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06200922 (Telehealth in the Rehabilitation of Urinary Incontinence in Older Women), which is not on this map. Cited by 69 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
27.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06200922 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Telehealth in the Rehabilitation of Urinary Incontinence in Older Women: Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorFederal University of Health Science of Porto AlegreRan2022 to 2024Enrolled69ConditionsUrinary Incontinence in Old AgeArmsPelvic physiotherapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 156 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. Beyond the Digital Divide: Factors Associated With Adoption of Technologies Related to Aging in Place.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2025
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9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Peter RascheDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7974-8668
Matthias WilleDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0703-8944
Christina BröhlDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8830-6175
Sabine TheisDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3422-3734
Katharina SchäferDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7376-7304
Matthias KnobeDepartment of Orthopaedic Trauma, University of Aachen Medical Center, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9166-0965
Alexander MertensDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3703-0401
RWTH Aachen University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealth apps are increasingly becoming an integral part of health care. Especially in older adults, the self-management of chronic diseases by health apps might become an integral part of health care services.

objectiveThe aim of this explorative study was to investigate the prevalence of health app use and related demographic factors, as well as health status among older adults in Germany.

methodsA nationwide postal survey was conducted. Of the 5000 individuals contacted, a total of 576 participants completed this survey. On the basis of their self-indicated assignment to one of the three predefined user groups (health app users, general app users, and nonusers of apps), participants answered various questions regarding app and health app use, including frequency of use and number of installed apps, demographic factors, and health status.

resultsIn total, 16.5% (95/576) used health apps, whereas 37.5% (216/576) indicated only using general apps, and 46.0% (265/576) reported using no apps at all. The number of installed health apps was most frequently reported as between 1 and 5 apps per participant, which were usually used on a weekly basis. The most frequently cited type of health apps were exercise-related ones. Individuals using health apps were found to be younger (MeanmHealth 66.6, SD 4.7) and to have a higher level of technical readiness compared with general app users and nonusers of apps (adjusted odds ratio, AOR=4.02 [95% CI 2.23-7.25] for technical readiness, and AOR=0.905 [95% CI 0.85-0.97] for age). The most frequently mentioned sources of information about apps within the group of health and general app users were family and friends. Identified barriers against the use of health apps were a lack of trust, data privacy concerns, and fear of misdiagnosis.

conclusionsHealth apps are already used by older adults in Germany. The main type of apps used are exercise-related ones. Barriers to and incentives for the use of health apps and associations with health status and users' demographics were revealed.

Indexed as

agedGermanymobile applicationssmartphonetelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID29362211
PMCPMC5801520
OpenAlexW2784483185

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.