Abstract

DELGADO, Mayumi; MIRANDA, Sandra  and  RODRIGUES, Paulo Farias. An Evaluation of Mobile Applications Classified in Health and Fitness. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2017, n.8, pp.22-26. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2017.0805.

In recent decades the prevalence of obesity has increased, and this disease represents one of the most serious public health challenges worldwide. At the same time, it appears that technological innovations are constantly emerging and on the one hand this technological evolution has decreased physical activity and increased sedentary lifestyles, on the other hand can be an ally in promoting healthier behaviors. The mobile applications, especially those related to health and fitness, are increasingly present in the daily lives of people, and may therefore prove to be a privileged way for supporting them to adopt healthier lifestyles. Thus, the aim of this research was to review and summarize the contents of most popular mobile applications in the health and fitness field with a higher average rating and compare paid and free apps to obtain insights to build a credible app prototype in this same area. We used a quantitative methodology. Given the variability of apps and functionalities found it was not possible to determine a pattern that could facilitate the choice of the best apps. It was found that free apps have a greater number of functions than the paid apps, so that the price cannot be a factor of choice.

Keywords : Mobile Applications; Fitness; Nutrition; Obesity; Health.

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