Healthy adults’ views and experiences on behavior change strategies in mobile applications for diet monitoring: A single centre qualitative study

Mobile diet apps assist in tracking nutritional intake and managing healthy eating diets. Effective diet apps incorporate specific population-tailored behavior change strategies (BCS) for user engagement and adherence to healthy diets. Malaysians have their unique behaviors and customs surrounding f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2023-11, Vol.18 (11), p.e0292390-e0292390
Main Authors: Abdul Khalil, Nur Melissa, Mohd Mydin, Fadzilah Hanum, Moy, Foong Ming
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to information
Adults
Applications programs
Attitudes
Audio data
Behavior
Diet
Eating behavior
Ethics
Evaluation
Food
Food habits
Football (College)
Health behavior
Intervention
Interviews
Management
Mobile applications
Mobile computing
Monitoring
Norms
Qualitative research
Smartphones
Social networks
Telemedicine
Theory of planned behavior
Wireless telephone software
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Summary:Mobile diet apps assist in tracking nutritional intake and managing healthy eating diets. Effective diet apps incorporate specific population-tailored behavior change strategies (BCS) for user engagement and adherence to healthy diets. Malaysians have their unique behaviors and customs surrounding food and diet. This study aims to explore the perceptions, views, and experiences of healthy Malaysian adults with diet monitoring apps, by focusing on the BCS that engages users to use diet mobile apps and adhere to a healthy diet. A qualitative approach utilizing semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted using a topic guide based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and trigger materials. Twenty interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Five themes emerged from the data, which are; instilling self-awareness, closed online group support, shaping knowledge, personalization, and user-friendly design. Influence by one's social circle and attractiveness of app features may initiate users' interest and help them engage with mobile diet apps, but the app's ability to raise awareness of progress and impart useful knowledge help them adhere and comply to a healthier diet in the long run. The results from this study may help improve the behavior change strategy features of mobile diet apps for Malaysian adults.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0292390