Table 2. Overview study and sample characteristics.
| Authors (year of publication) | Place | Target population | Study focus (type of app) | Study design | Sampling; (rr); representativity | Sample size (N(m/f)) | Mean age +/- SD; (r) in yrs.; age groups (n) | Data gathering methods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bol et al. [54] (2018) | |||||||||
| The Netherlands | smart device owners; Dutch adults (aged >18 yrs.) | general health apps, including nutrition and fitness apps | quantitative, cross-sectional study | sample drawn from a panel based on a representative sample of the Dutch population (CentERdata’s LISSPANEL); rr not provided | 1079 (495/584) | 50.32 +/- 16.35; (r = 18–89) | standardized questionnaire; online survey | ||
| Cabrita et al. [55] (2019) | |||||||||
| The Netherlands | general population; Dutch community-dwelling older adults (target age group not specified) | general health apps, including nutrition and fitness apps | qualitative (case) study | sample drawn from 1. local information markets to promote healthy behaviors in the region of Overijssel (NL), 2. information sessions given to participants in the European Project PERSSILLA | 12 | 69; (r = 65–78) | qualitative semi-structured interviews (pre and post app use within case study; Note: for the purpose of this review, only results prior to app exposure are reported) | ||
| Wichmann et al. [53] (2019) | |||||||||
| Germany | German fitness app users and non-users (aged >50 yrs.) | fitness apps | qualitative, cross-sectional study | participants recruited via the associated online survey of the mixed methods study; offline: flyers, gatekeepers of sport clubs and other initiatives; online: advertisements | N = 15 (7/8) individuals; 3 focus groups: 1. app users: n = 5, n_m = 5, 2. non-users. n = 4, n_f = 4, 3. non-users. n = 6, n_f = 4 | 61.3 +/- 8.7; 3 focus groups: 1. fitness app users: 63.0 +/- 4.5, 2. non-users: 68.8 +/- 9.8, 3. non-users: 55.0 +/- 6.6 | qualitative focus group discussions | ||
| König et al. [52] (2018) | |||||||||
| Germany | general population; German adults (aged >18 yrs.) | nutrition and fitness apps | quantitative, cross-sectional study | sample drawn from a local longitudinal cohort study (Konstanz Life Study); rr not provided | 1215 (432/783) | 41.11 +/- 17.56 | standardized questionnaire; paper-pencil survey | ||
| Naszay et al. [56] (2018) | |||||||||
| Austria | Internet users; Swiss adults (target age group not specified) | general health apps, including nutrition and fitness apps | quantitative, cross-sectional study | four-phase snowball-sampling (offline (e.g. health-related professional associations) & online (e.g. health forums, Facebook); rr not provided | 562 (231/331) | 36.9 +/- 1.2; n<35 yrs. = 305 n≥35 yrs. = 257 | Self-validated standardized questionnaire (validated by pilot test with N = 20 health professionals); online survey | ||
| Mackert et al. [51] (2016) | |||||||||
| USA | patients (not specified), American adults (target age group not specified) | general health apps, including nutrition and fitness apps | quantitative, cross-sectional study | sample drawn from an invitation-only research panel (not specified);rr not provided; representative for the USA demographic composition regarding gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status | 4974 (2102/2872) |
43.5 +/- 16.7 | standardized questionnaire; online survey | ||
| Seifert et al. [57] (2017) | |||||||||
| Switzerland | general population; Swiss older adults (aged >50 yrs.) | fitness apps | quantitative, cross-sectional study | simple random sample drawn from commercial AZ-Direct database (based on public phone book); rr = 18%; sample representative for age, gender, education, language region | 1013 (475/538) | 65.3; SD not reported (r = 50–80+); n_50–64 = 522 n_65–79 = 358 n_≥80 = 133 |
standardized questionnaire; computer assisted telephone interview | ||
Note. yrs. = years; rr = response rate; m = male, f = female; SD = standard deviation; r = range