Display options
Cite
Alnasser A, Kyle J, Alkhalifah A, et al. Relationship Between Evidence Requirements, User Expectations, and Actual Experiences: Usability Evaluation of the Twazon Arabic Weight Loss App. JMIR Hum Factors. 2018;5(2):e16doi: 10.2196/humanfactors.9765.
Alnasser, A., Kyle, J., Alkhalifah, A., & Marais, D. (2018). Relationship Between Evidence Requirements, User Expectations, and Actual Experiences: Usability Evaluation of the Twazon Arabic Weight Loss App. JMIR human factors, 5(2), e16. https://doi.org/10.2196/humanfactors.9765
Alnasser, Aroub, et al. "Relationship Between Evidence Requirements, User Expectations, and Actual Experiences: Usability Evaluation of the Twazon Arabic Weight Loss App." JMIR human factors vol. 5,2 (2018): e16. doi: https://doi.org/10.2196/humanfactors.9765
Alnasser A, Kyle J, Alkhalifah A, Marais D. Relationship Between Evidence Requirements, User Expectations, and Actual Experiences: Usability Evaluation of the Twazon Arabic Weight Loss App. JMIR Hum Factors. 2018 Apr 17;5(2):e16. doi: 10.2196/humanfactors.9765. PMID: 29666042; PMCID: PMC5930174.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

JMIR Hum Factors. 2018 Apr 17;5(2):e16. doi: 10.2196/humanfactors.9765.

Relationship Between Evidence Requirements, User Expectations, and Actual Experiences: Usability Evaluation of the Twazon Arabic Weight Loss App.

JMIR human factors

Aroub Alnasser, Janet Kyle, Abdulrahman Alkhalifah, Debbi Marais

Affiliations

  1. Food Science and Nutrition Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  2. Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
  3. Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.

PMID: 29666042 PMCID: PMC5930174 DOI: 10.2196/humanfactors.9765

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Saudi Arabia has faced a steady growth in the prevalence of obesity. The concurrent and ubiquitous use of mobile technology, such as smartphones and apps, provides an opportunity for the implementation of mHealth technology, a method for delivering behavioral interventions. Despite their effectiveness in promoting lifestyle and diet modification, culturally adapted weight loss apps and related interventions are lacking in Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to identify the relationship between adherence to evidence-informed practices, potential user expectations, and actual user experiences in order to enhance the understanding of the overall usability of the Twazon Arabic weight loss app.

METHODS: In 2 previous studies, 39 Saudi women were recruited for focus group discussions and 240 Saudi women were recruited for an app-based weight loss intervention. Usability of the Twazon Arabic weight loss app was evaluated by analyzing the opinions and experiences of 26 participants who engaged with the Twazon app for 4 months; the System Usability Scale (SUS) and word clouds were used. The results were triangulated with potential user expectations obtained in the focus group discussion and with the findings from an Arabic app screening for evidence-informed practices.

RESULTS: The average reported SUS score was 69.3. The most favored features were the calorie counter, step counter, and physical activity calorie counter. The features in need of improvement were the social network, notifications, and the Twazon Saudi Food Database. Twazon users preferred and found useful 7 of the 13 evidence-informed weight loss practices that were integrated into the features of the app.

CONCLUSIONS: Triangulation identified the most notable relationship to be the disparity between user experience and 2 of the evidence-informed practices, namely a minimum weight loss goal of 0.5 to 1 kg/week and social support; no relationship was found between user expectations and evidence-informed weight loss practices. The overall usability of the Twazon Arabic weight loss app ranged between high marginal and acceptable, indicating that some improvements to the app should be considered for implementation in future app-based weight loss interventions of this kind.

©Aroub Alnasser, Janet Kyle, Abdulrahman Alkhalifah, Debbi Marais. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (http://humanfactors.jmir.org), 17.04.2018.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; mHealth; mobile applications; obesity; smartphones; weight loss; women's health

References

  1. J Biomed Inform. 2016 Apr;60:243-51 - PubMed
  2. Internet Interv. 2017 Mar;7:23-31 - PubMed
  3. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000 Aug;24(8):1069-76 - PubMed
  4. Br J Health Psychol. 2015 Feb;20(1):151-71 - PubMed
  5. JMIR Res Protoc. 2016 May 16;5(2):e76 - PubMed
  6. BMJ. 2010 Feb 24;340:c154 - PubMed
  7. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1998 Aug;66(4):641-5 - PubMed
  8. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2014 Jan;8(1):79-83 - PubMed
  9. Am J Prev Med. 2013 Nov;45(5):576-82 - PubMed
  10. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015 Dec 16;3(4):e104 - PubMed
  11. Nicotine Tob Res. 2013 Aug;15(8):1427-35 - PubMed
  12. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1997 Feb;65(1):79-85 - PubMed
  13. Arch Intern Med. 2001 Sep 24;161(17):2133-9 - PubMed
  14. Med Educ. 2010 Mar;44(3):316-22 - PubMed
  15. J Behav Med. 2017 Feb;40(1):99-111 - PubMed
  16. Health Expect. 2009 Dec;12(4):347-60 - PubMed
  17. J Med Syst. 2014 Jan;38(1):9995 - PubMed
  18. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Jan 26;17 (1):88 - PubMed
  19. Int J Obes (Lond). 2017 Jan;41(1):200-202 - PubMed
  20. Transl Behav Med. 2016 Sep;6(3):396-402 - PubMed
  21. Am J Prev Med. 2013 Nov;45(5):583-9 - PubMed
  22. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2015 May 20;3(2):e41 - PubMed

Publication Types