ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2018
A Smartphone App to Promote an Active Lifestyle in Lower-Educated Working Young Adults: Development, Usability, Acceptability, and Feasibility Study.
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. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Toward Participatory Precision Health With Co-Designed Recommendations: Systematic Review of Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions in Adolescents and Young Adults.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of mHealth Interventions on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among Office Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Acceptability, usefulness, and satisfaction with a web-based video-tailored physical activity intervention: The TaylorActive randomized controlled trial.Journal of sport and health science · 2022Trial
- Development and feasibility of a mobile phone application designed to support physically inactive employees to increase walking.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2021Trial
- Usability of Food Size Aids in Mobile Dietary Reporting Apps for Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Centering Equity During Health Technology Innovation: Scoping Review of Methods and Research Adjustments to Promote Inclusive Coproduction.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Scoping review protocol: a mobile health solution for the management of stress among health science students at rural universities in South Africa.The Pan African medical journal · 2026Article
- Active Play in a Digital Age, Exploring Children's (Aged 8-13 Years) Views of a Physical Activity App: Qualitative Formative Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Smartphone Apps and Wearables for Health Parameters in Young Adulthood: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Understanding parents' digital use and preferences for an mHealth intervention in low-income, rural settings.Health education research · 2025Article
- Article
- Examining health apps and wearable use in improving physical and mental well-being across U.S., China, and Singapore.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Attributes, Methods, and Frameworks Used to Evaluate Wearables and Their Companion mHealth Apps: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Article
- An mHealth Application in German Health Care System: Importance of User Participation in the Development Process.Journal of medical systems · 2024Article
- Guide Development for eHealth Interventions Targeting People With a Low Socioeconomic Position: Participatory Design Approach.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- The Barriers and Facilitators of eHealth-Based Lifestyle Intervention Programs for People With a Low Socioeconomic Status: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
- Iterative Development of a Mobile Phone App to Support Community Health Volunteers During Cervical Cancer Screening in Western Kenya: Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- The Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of Lifestyle Apps: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2022Review
- Designing Effective eHealth Interventions for Underserved Groups: Five Lessons From a Decade of eHealth Intervention Design and Deployment.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical activity (PA) levels are problematic in lower-educated working young adults (18-26 years). To promote PA, smartphone apps have great potential, but there is no evidence for their effectiveness in this population. To increase the likelihood that a newly developed app will be effective, formative research and user testing are required.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to describe the development, usability, acceptability, and feasibility of a new theory- and evidence-based smartphone app to promote an active lifestyle in lower-educated working young adults.
methodsThe new app was developed by applying 4 steps. First, determinants important to promote an active lifestyle in this population were selected. Second, evidence-based behavior change techniques were selected to convert the determinants into practical applications. Third, a new smartphone app was developed. Fourth, volunteers (n=11, both lower and higher educated) tested the app on usability, and lower-educated working young adults (n=16) tested its acceptability and feasibility via (think aloud) interviews, a questionnaire, and Google Analytics. The app was accordingly adapted for the final version.
resultsA new Android app, Active Coach, was developed that focused on knowledge, attitude, social support, and self-efficacy (based on outcomes from step 1), and that applied self-regulation techniques (based on outcomes from step 2). The app consists of a 9-week program with personal goals, practical tips, and scientific facts to encourage an active lifestyle. To ensure all-day and automatic self-monitoring of the activity behavior, the Active Coach app works in combination with a wearable activity tracker, the Fitbit Charge. Issues detected by the usability test (eg, text errors, wrong messages) were all fixed. The acceptability and feasibility test showed that participants found the app clear, understandable, and motivating, although some aspects needed to be more personal.
conclusionsBy applying a stepwise, user-centered approach that regularly consulted the target group, the new app is adapted to their specific needs and preferences. The Active Coach app was overall positively evaluated by the lower-educated working young adults at the end of the development process.
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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.