Abstract
Background
Nutrition mobile apps have become accessible and popular weight-management tools available
to the general public. To date, much of the research has focused on quantitative outcomes
with these tools (eg, weight loss); little is known about user experiences and perceptions
of these tools when used outside of a research trial environment.
Objective
Our aim was to understand the experiences and perceptions of adult volunteers who
have used publicly available mobile apps to support nutrition behavior change for
weight management.
Design
We conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with individuals who reported using
nutrition mobile apps for weight management outside of a research setting.
Participants/setting
Twenty-four healthy adults (n=19 females, n=5 males) who had used publicly available
nutrition mobile apps for weight management for ≥1 week within the past 3 to 4 months
were recruited from the community in southern Ontario and Edmonton, Canada, using
different methods (eg, social media, posters, and word of mouth).
Qualitative data analysis
Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and transcripts were verified
against recordings. Data were coded inductively and organized into categories using
NVivo, version 10 (QSR International).
Results
Participants used nutrition apps for various amounts of time (mean=approximately 14
months). Varied nutrition apps were used; however, MyFitnessPal was the most common.
In the interviews, the following four categories of experiences with nutrition apps
became apparent: food data entry (database, data entry methods, portion size, and
complex foods); accountability, feedback, and progress (goal setting, accountability,
monitoring, and feedback); technical and app-related factors; and personal factors
(self-motivation, privacy, knowledge, and obsession). Most participants used apps
without professional or dietitian support.
Conclusions
This work reveals that numerous factors affect use and ongoing adherence to use of
nutrition mobile apps. These data are relevant to professionals looking to better
assist individuals using these tools, as well as developers looking to develop new
and improved apps.
Keywords
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Biography
J. R. L. Lieffers is a post-doctoral fellow, School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; at the time of the study, she was a graduate student, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Biography
J. F. Arocha is an associate professor, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Biography
R. M. Hanning is a professor, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Biography
K. Grindrod is an assistant professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 16, 2017
Accepted:
April 17,
2017
Received:
October 30,
2016
Footnotes
Supplementary materials: Figure 1 is available at www.jandonline.org
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This work was funded by the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research. J. R. L. Lieffers received stipend support as PhD student from a Cancer Care Ontario/Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Training Grant in Population Intervention for Chronic Disease Prevention: A Pan-Canadian Program (grant no. 53893, 2014-15), CIHR Banting and Best Doctoral Award (2011-14), and University of Waterloo President’s Graduate Scholarship (2011-14).
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
