Quality of Publicly Available Physical Activity Apps: Review and Content Analysis

BACKGROUND: Within the new digital health landscape, the rise of health apps creates novel prospects for health promotion. The market is saturated with apps that aim to increase physical activity (PA). Despite the wide distribution and popularity of PA apps, there are limited data on their effectiveness, user experience, and safety of personal data. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review and content analysis was to evaluate the quality of the most popular PA apps on the market using health care quality indicators. METHODS: The top-ranked 400 free and paid apps from iTunes and Google Play stores were screened. Apps were included if the primary behavior targeted was PA, targeted users were adults, and the apps had stand-alone functionality. The apps were downloaded on mobile phones and assessed by 2 reviewers against the following quality assessment criteria: (1) users' data privacy and security, (2) presence of behavior change techniques (BCTs) and quality of the development and evaluation processes, and (3) user ratings and usability. RESULTS: Out of 400 apps, 156 met the inclusion criteria, of which 65 apps were randomly selected to be downloaded and assessed. Almost 30% apps (19/65) did not have privacy policy. Every app contained at least one BCT, with an average number of 7 and a maximum of 13 BCTs. All but one app had commercial affiliation, 12 consulted an expert, and none reported involving users in the app development. Only 12 of 65 apps had a peer-reviewed study connected to the app. User ratings were high, with only a quarter of the ratings falling below 4 stars. The median usability score was excellent-86.3 out of 100. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the popularity of PA apps available on the commercial market, there were substantial shortcomings in the areas of data safety and likelihood of effectiveness of the apps assessed. The limited quality of the apps may represent a missed opportunity for PA promotion

The Effectiveness of Prompts to Promote Engagement With Digital Interventions: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Digital interventions have been effective in improving numerous health outcomes and health behaviors; furthermore, they are increasingly being used in different health care areas, including self-management of long-term conditions, mental health, and health promotion. The full potential of digital interventions is hindered by a lack of user engagement. There is an urgent need to develop effective strategies that can promote users' engagement with digital interventions. One potential method is the use of technology-based reminders or prompts. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of technology-based strategies for promoting engagement with digital interventions. METHODS: Cochrane Collaboration guidelines on systematic review methodology were followed. The search strategy was executed across 7 electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Databases were searched from inception to September 13, 2013, with no language or publication type restrictions, using three concepts: randomized controlled trials, digital interventions, and engagement. Gray literature and reference lists of included studies were also searched. Titles and abstracts were independently screened by 2 authors, then the full texts of potentially eligible papers were obtained and double-screened. Data from eligible papers were extracted by one author and checked for accuracy by another author. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Narrative synthesis was performed on all included studies and, where appropriate, data were pooled using meta-analysis. All findings were reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies were included in the review with 8774 participants. Of the 14 studies, 9 had sufficient data to be included in the meta-analyses. The meta-analyses suggested that technology-based strategies can potentially promote engagement compared to no strategy for dichotomous outcomes (relative risk [RR] 1.27, 95% CI 1.01-1.60, I(2)=71%), but due to considerable heterogeneity and the small sample sizes in most studies, this result should be treated with caution. No studies reported adverse or economic outcomes. Only one study with a small sample size compared different characteristics; the study found that strategies promoting new digital intervention content and those sent to users shortly after they started using the digital intervention were more likely to engage users. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, studies reported borderline positive effects of technology-based strategies on engagement compared to no strategy. However, the results have to be interpreted with caution. More research is needed to replicate findings and understand which characteristics of the strategies are effective in promoting engagement and how cost-effective they are

An Artificial Neural Network Framework to Predict Patients with High Likelihood of Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important health and healthcare system problem. The ability to predict which patients will develop CKD is a difficult task due to the complex nonlinear relationships among related factors. Using artificial neural networks (ANN), applied to a population 17 through 90 years of age, we achieved 97% accuracy in classification, based on standard laboratory test and patient data. The technique was also helpful in determining which features of the data are most predictive; 75% of the features were sufficient to reach this high level of accuracy

Design And Practical Implementation Of Harmonic-Transponder Sensors

Harmonic radar is a nonlinear detection technology that transmits and receives radio-frequency (RF) signals at orthogonal frequencies, so as to suppress the undesired clutters, echoes and electromagnetic interreferences due to multipath scattering. Its implementation generally comprises a nonlinear tag (i.e, a harmonic transponder), which picks the interrogation signal at specific fundamental frequency (f0) and converts it into a high/sub-harmonic signal (nf0). Such a technology has been successfully applied to tracking small insects and detection of electrically-small objects in the rich-scattering environment. Similarly, a harmonic sensor is used to interrogate electrically-small and passive sensors, of which the magnitude and peak frequency of output harmonics (e.g., second harmonic) are functions of the parameter to be sensed. A harmonic tag or sensor comprises one or multiple antennas, a frequency modulator, a sensor, a microchip and matching networks. Here, we propose and experimentally validate compact, low-cost, low-profile, and conformal hybrid-fed microstrip antennas for the harmonics-based radar and sensor systems. The proposed 98 microstrip antennas are based on a simple single-layered and hybrid-feed structure. By optimizing the feed position and the geometry of microstrip patch, the fundamental mode and particular higher-order modes can be excited at the fundamental frequency and the second harmonic. We have derived the analytical expressions for calculating the antennas’ resonant frequencies, which have been verified with numerical simulations and measurements. Our results show that the proposed hybrid-feed, single-layered microstrip antennas, although having a compact size and a low profile, can achieve descent realized gain (1.2 – 3.5 dB), good impedance matching (return loss \u3c -15 dB), high isolation (\u3c-20 dB), and favorable co/cross-polarization properties. The proposed microstrip antennas may benefit various size-restricted harmonic transponders used for harmonic radars, harmonic sensors, medical implants, passive radio-frequency identification (RFID), and internet-of-things (IoT) applications

Investigate the Customer's Understanding of the Billboard Advertisements

The topic of this project is INVESTIGATE THE CUSTOMER'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE BILLBOARD ADVERTISEMENTS. The main purpose of this study focuses on the issue of investigating whether understanding of pictorial, text, and overall message and Keller model for Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (A.R.C.S) differ by gender, race, and age. This study was conducted on a different billboards located in Kedah State, Malaysia. The study also emphasises that both Gestalt theory and visuals on billboard have a dimensional effects in terms of the image, text, and overall messages of the billboards. The findings reported that there were significant differences in understanding of pictorial elements and overall messages by gender with females reporting significantly higher means than males, but there was no significant difference in understanding of textual elements by gender, race, and age. Meanwhile, the result indicated that the mean scores of females towards understanding billboards were significantly highe

The Role of Formal Institutional Support On Starting A Business: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

This thesis explores and examines the role of formal institutional support for early stage entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. Although entrepreneurship literature has attracted a considerable amount of attention, the relationships between the regulatory, cognitive and normative dimensions of the institutional profile, and support for entrepreneurship and business performance have been under-explored in prior research, in particular in the context of early stage entrepreneurs within a developing economy such as Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the main research question is approached via six sub-questions, which explore the most important reasons for starting a business, the types of institutional support used by early stage entrepreneurs, the relationship between early stage entrepreneurial ideas and the provision of institutional/entrepreneurial support, the relationship between institutional support and early stage business performance, the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in accessing the available institutional supports, and how these challenges can be overcome to enhance entrepreneurship in the context of Saudi Arabia. The study takes a two-stage mixed methods approach to data collection. First, a large panel data set was acquired from early stage entrepreneurs involved in support programmes in Saudi Arabia. A survey of early stage entrepreneurs who were involved in support programmes in the main cities in Saudi Arabia produced a response rate of 27% (n = 117). The purpose of this first stage was to explore the role of formal institutional support for early stage entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia, and to inform the second, qualitative stage. In the second stage, a group of support institution officials (n = 13) and early stage entrepreneurs (n = 7) were selected for qualitative data collection, using semi-structured interviews, aiming to gain deeper understanding of support agencies’ impact on entrepreneurs and to explore how participants view the process of application for support. The main findings of the study are that the most important reasons that motivate entrepreneurs for starting a business is taking advantage of opportunity. The main types of institutional support used by early stage entrepreneurs are consultation, finance and networking. Findings also showed there is a positive relationship between early stage entrepreneurial ideas and the provision of institutional support and a positive relationship was found between institutional support, especially the regulatory dimension, and early stage business performance. The main challenges faced by entrepreneurs in accessing support in Saudi Arabia are lack of access and poor quality of education and training, bureaucracy, and lack of access to finance, while the main challenges faced by support institutions are lack of awareness of support for entrepreneurship and lack of access to data. The challenge that faced both is institutions working in isolation from each other. This thesis proposed modifications to a number of entrepreneurship models (Bhave, 1994; Shane, 2003; GEM, 2005), and offers recommendations to entrepreneurs, institution officials and policy makers to enhance support for entrepreneurship

Outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome at Tertiary Care Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2014

During March–May 2014, a Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak occurred in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that included many persons who worked or received medical treatment at King Fahd General Hospital. We investigated 78 persons who had laboratory-confirmed MERS during March 2–May 10 and documented contact at this hospital. The 78 persons with MERS comprised 53 patients, 16 healthcare workers, and 9 visitors. Among the 53 patients, the most probable sites of acquisition were the emergency department (22 patients), inpatient areas (17), dialysis unit (11), and outpatient areas (3). Infection control deficiencies included limited separation of suspected MERS patients, patient crowding, and inconsistent use of infection control precautions; aggressive improvements in these deficiencies preceded a decline in cases. MERS coronavirus transmission probably was multifocal, occurring in multiple hospital settings. Continued vigilance and strict application of infection control precautions are necessary to prevent future MERS outbreaks