Evaluation of the usability and utility of LactApp, a mHealth for breastfeeding support

• Published in: International journal of medical informatics (Shannon, Ireland) Ireland), 2023-12, Vol.180, p.105240, Article 105240
• Main Authors: Quifer-Rada, Paola, Aguilar-Camprubí, Laia, Padró-Arocas, Alba, Mena-Tudela, Desirée
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Breastfeeding support; mHealth; usability; user satisfaction
• ISSN: 1386-5056; 1872-8243; 1872-8243
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2023.105240

•Lactating women need the appropiate support to breastfeed as long as they desire and to increase breastfeeding rates.•LactApp is a free mobile mHealth application developed to support breastfeeding available worldwide.•1,191 users evaluated the app for usaibility and utility.•The results of our study show that LactApp is highly usable.•80.9% of the respondents agreed that using LactApp they felt supported in their breastfeeding experience, LactApp helped them to manage their breastfeeding experience (75.3% of the respondents), LactApp was useful for their health and well-being (86.7%), and overall, they were satisfied with LactApp (87.8% of the respondents) Despite the benefits of breastfeeding, the worldwide breastfeeding rate is low and in order to increase breastfeeding rates, women need to receive appropriate support, resources and reliable information. mHealth interventions have proven to be a successful tool to support breastfeeding. LactApp is a free mobile mHealth application developed to support breastfeeding, it is available worldwide. To assess the usability and utility of LactApp as a mobile application for breastfeeding support. A prospective cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire was sent to LactApp users registered between January and September of 2022 via e-mail. Participants filled out the survey that consisted of the modified MAUQ questionnaire (mHealth App Usability Questionnaire) along with questions about participants’ socio-demographic data, mothers’ and nursing infants’ clinical data, breastfeeding practices, and satisfaction with the lactation support received. A total of 1,191 users that completed the whole questionnaire. The mMAUQ scores for LactApp with a mean score of 5.9 (±0.88) (ranged from 1 to 7). 80.9% of the respondents agreed that using LactApp they felt supported in their breastfeeding experience, LactApp helped them to manage their breastfeeding experience (75.3% of the respondents), LactApp was useful for their health and well-being (86.7%), and overall, they were satisfied with LactApp (87.8% of the respondents). User’s age, previous experience in breastfeeding and type of breastfeeding significantly affected scores of the total m-MAUQ questionnaire. The results of our study show that LactApp is highly usable. Users evaluated LactApp very positively and was useful for their breastfeeding experience.