Table 4.
Technical features and quality assurance of included apps (N=98).
| Feature | App category, n (%) | Total (N=98), n (%) | |||||||||
|
|
Well-being (n=20) | Mental health (n=65) | Depression (n=13) |
|
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| App credibility | |||||||||||
|
|
App content referenced or signed by the author | 0 (0) | 29 (45) | 9 (69) | 38 (39) | ||||||
|
|
App includes a disclaimer that app information does not replace health care provider’s advice | 5 (25) | 41 (63) | 9 (69) | 55 (56) | ||||||
|
|
App development team mentioned in app content | ||||||||||
|
|
|
Government agency, academic institution, or nongovernment organization | 2 (10) | 4 (6) | 0 (0) | 6 (6) | |||||
|
|
|
Health care professional | 1 (5) | 36 (55) | 11 (85) | 48 (49) | |||||
|
|
|
Not declared | 17 (85) | 25 (38) | 2 (15) | 44 (45) | |||||
| Data privacy | |||||||||||
|
|
Authentication required to access app | 12 (60) | 46 (71) | 9 (69) | 67 (68) | ||||||
|
|
App with a privacy policya | 18 (90) | 59 (91) | 12 (92) | 89 (91) | ||||||
|
|
|
Presented before account creation | 5 (6) | 26 (29) | 3 (25) | 34 (35) | |||||
|
|
|
Explains how data are collected | 17 (94) | 58 (98) | 12 (100) | 87 (98) | |||||
|
|
|
Shares information with third-party providers | 14 (78) | 51 (86) | 9 (75) | 74 (83) | |||||
|
|
|
Shares contact details of Data Protection Officer | 7 (35) | 13 (22) | 0 (0) | 20 (22) | |||||
|
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App allows users to share data | 4 (20) | 35 (59) | 6 (50) | 45 (51) | ||||||
aPercentage calculation was based on the number of apps with privacy policy (well-being apps: 18; mental health apps: 59; depression apps: 12; total: 89).