The Development of the Evaluating Technological Features Tool on Smartphone Application for Walking/Running and Physical Activity Tracking for Adults

Abstract

Using of health-and-fitness smartphone applications is rapidly growing among adults, while the technological features have play a major role on motivation and promotion in increasing physical activity engagement among the users. However, there has no a particular tool for evaluating technological features on smartphone application for walking/running and physical activity tracking for adults that appropriate to the extremely rapidly changes in current smartphone technology. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a survey for assessing the technological features on smartphone application for walking/running and physical activity tracking for adults in both Android and iOS operation. In order to achieve the specific smartphone application features based on the specific use’s objective that the health professional and related specialists can be implicating and suggesting to their relevant subjects. This developed survey consisted of 6 domains on evaluation such as measuring and monitoring, information and analysis, support and feedback, adaptation, social, competition and comparison, and contact to health expert. Content validity test showed the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) was 0.86, interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was excellent (ICC = 0.98), and the inter-rater reliability as well as intra-rater reliability examination also demonstrated excellent levels (ICC = 0.98-0.99). The results of this study confirmed our developed survey tool can be used with high precision for evaluating technological features on smartphone application in order to select an appropriate application to promote walking/running and physical activity for adults.