Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)

Escriche-Escuder, Adrian; De-Torres, Irene; Roldán-Jiménez, Cristina; Martín-Martín, Jaime; Muro-Culebras, Antonio; González-Sánchez, Manuel; Ruiz-Muñoz, Maria; Mayoral-Cleries, Fermín; Biró, Attila; Tang, Wen; Nikolova, Borjanka; Salvatore, Alfredo; Cuesta-Vargas, Antonio I

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249209

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)

by

Adrian Escriche-Escuder

^1,2,†

,

Irene De-Torres

^2,3,†,

Cristina Roldán-Jiménez

^1,2

,

Jaime Martín-Martín

^2,4

,

Antonio Muro-Culebras

^1,2,

Manuel González-Sánchez

^1,2

,

Maria Ruiz-Muñoz

^2,5

,

Fermín Mayoral-Cleries

^2,6

,

Attila Biró

⁷

,

Wen Tang

⁸,

Borjanka Nikolova

⁹,

Alfredo Salvatore

¹⁰ and

Antonio I Cuesta-Vargas

^1,2,11,*

¹

Department of Physiotherapy, University of Malaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain

²

Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain

³

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Hospital Regional Universitario, 29010 Málaga, Spain

⁴

Department of Human Anatomy, Legal Medicine and History of Science, University of Malaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain

⁵

Department of Nursing and Podiatry, University of Malaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain

⁶

Mental Health Unit, Regional Universitary Hospital of Malaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain

⁷

ITWare, 1117 Budapest, Hungary

⁸

Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth BH12 5BB, UK

⁹

Arthaus, Production Trade and Service Company, 1000 Skopje, Macedonia

¹⁰

Sensor ID Snc, 86021 Boiano, Italy

¹¹

Faculty of Health Science, School of Clinical Science, Queensland University Technology, Brisbane 4000, Australia

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^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9209; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249209

Submission received: 8 November 2020 / Revised: 3 December 2020 / Accepted: 7 December 2020 / Published: 9 December 2020

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Health for Exercise Prescription in Health and Disease)

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Abstract

Digital health interventions may improve different behaviours. However, the rapid proliferation of technological solutions often does not allow for a correct assessment of the quality of the tools. This study aims to review and assess the quality of the available mobile applications (apps) related to interventions for low back pain. Two reviewers search the official stores of Android (Play Store) and iOS (App Store) for localisation in Spain and the United Kingdom, in September 2019, searching for apps related to interventions for low back pain. Seventeen apps finally are included. The quality of the apps is measured using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The scores of each section and the final score of the apps are retrieved and the mean and standard deviation obtained. The average quality ranges between 2.83 and 4.57 (mean 3.82) on a scale from 1 (inadequate) to 5 (excellent). The best scores are found in functionality (4.7), followed by aesthetic content (mean 4.1). Information (2.93) and engagement (3.58) are the worst rated items. Apps generally have good overall quality, especially in terms of functionality and aesthetics. Engagement and information should be improved in most of the apps. Moreover, scientific evidence is necessary to support the use of applied health tools.

Keywords: application (app); exercise; mHealth; Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS); low back pain

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MDPI and ACS Style

Escriche-Escuder, A.; De-Torres, I.; Roldán-Jiménez, C.; Martín-Martín, J.; Muro-Culebras, A.; González-Sánchez, M.; Ruiz-Muñoz, M.; Mayoral-Cleries, F.; Biró, A.; Tang, W.; et al. Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 9209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249209

AMA Style

Escriche-Escuder A, De-Torres I, Roldán-Jiménez C, Martín-Martín J, Muro-Culebras A, González-Sánchez M, Ruiz-Muñoz M, Mayoral-Cleries F, Biró A, Tang W, et al. Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(24):9209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249209

Chicago/Turabian Style

Escriche-Escuder, Adrian, Irene De-Torres, Cristina Roldán-Jiménez, Jaime Martín-Martín, Antonio Muro-Culebras, Manuel González-Sánchez, Maria Ruiz-Muñoz, Fermín Mayoral-Cleries, Attila Biró, Wen Tang, and et al. 2020. "Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 24: 9209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249209

APA Style

Escriche-Escuder, A., De-Torres, I., Roldán-Jiménez, C., Martín-Martín, J., Muro-Culebras, A., González-Sánchez, M., Ruiz-Muñoz, M., Mayoral-Cleries, F., Biró, A., Tang, W., Nikolova, B., Salvatore, A., & Cuesta-Vargas, A. I. (2020). Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249209

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Assessment of the Quality of Mobile Applications (Apps) for Management of Low Back Pain Using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS)

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