ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2021
Content, Behavior Change Techniques, and Quality of Pregnancy Apps in Spain: Systematic Search on App Stores.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of mobile applications used during pregnancy on prenatal distress and attachment.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Application of Behavior Change Techniques and Rated Quality of Smoking Cessation Apps in China: Content Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Evaluating the Quality, Content Accuracy, and User Suitability of mHealth Prenatal Care Apps for Expectant Mothers: Critical Assessment Study.Asian/Pacific Island nursing journal · 2025Article
- Smartphone pregnancy apps: systematic analysis of features, scientific guidance, commercialization, and user perception.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Article
- Content, Behaviour Change Techniques, and Quality of Postpartum Depression Apps to Be Recommended by Midwives: Systematic Search and Evaluation.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2024Article
- Understanding and Involving the Perspective of Pregnant Women as Users When Designing the Framework of e-Health and Exercise Interventions during Pregnancy: Preliminary Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Spanish versión of The App Behavior Change Scale (ABACUS-Es): Adaptation and validation study.PloS one · 2024Article
- Quality evaluation of pregnancy-related mobile applications in South Korea: a descriptive study.Korean journal of women health nursing · 2023Article
- A mixed-methods study exploring women's perceptions and recommendations for a pregnancy app with monitoring tools.NPJ digital medicine · 2023Article
- Pregnancy Apps for Self-Monitoring: Scoping Review of the Most Popular Global Apps Available in Australia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Datamama, bringing pregnancy research into the future: design, development, and evaluation of a citizen science pregnancy mobile application.Frontiers in drug safety and regulation · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWomen consult information in mobile apps (apps) during pregnancy, and even obstetrics specialists highlight that pregnancy is the ideal moment for the use of apps as consultation sources. However, the high number of apps designed for pregnancy requires a careful assessment to determine their suitability before recommendation.
objectiveThe aim of this study is to identify the apps available in Spanish that can be recommended based on their content, behavior change techniques (BCTs), and quality as a complementary tool during pregnancy.
methodsA systematic search on app stores to identify apps was performed in the Apple App Store and Google Play with the subject term "pregnancy." The apps meeting the following criteria were chosen: pregnancy-related content, free, and available in Spanish. An app was excluded if it was classified as a game or entertainment and thus lacking an educational or health aim and if it did not target the population under study. The selected apps were downloaded, and their quality was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS), with the BCTs included evaluated using the BCT taxonomy version 1 and its content.
resultsA total of 457 apps were identified, 25 of which were downloaded for assessment (5.6%). The median for objective and subjective quality was 2.94 (IQR 2.71-3.46) and 1.75 (IQR 1.25-2.25), respectively. Regarding content, the median of topics included in the apps was 23 (IQR 16-23), with weight gain, nutrition, fetal development, and physical activity being the most common. The median number of BCTs was 12 (IQR 0.5-3.5). The most frequently identified BCTs in the apps were "Self-Monitoring of Outcomes," followed by "Goal Behavior" and "Instructions." Statistically significant correlations were observed between objective quality and content (ρ=0.624; P=.001), subjective quality and content (ρ=0.638; P=.001), objective quality and BCTs (ρ=0.672; P<.001), subjective quality and BCTs (ρ=0.623; P<.001), and BCTs and content (ρ=0.580; P=.002).
conclusionsThe results of this study suggest that only a small percentage of free pregnancy apps available in Spanish should be recommended. The apps with the best MARS scores were those that addressed a higher number of topics and included a higher number of BCTs. Those with the best content and quality, and a higher number of BCTs included could be recommended by health professionals.
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