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There is a variety of approaches used in the DM apps, with comprehensive, customizable, and adjusted functionalities for different purposes. Most apps are digital logbooks for collecting data on various daily tasks from DM treatment. The researchers are interested in guidelines of medical organizations, evaluations from health professionals and patients, and other methods to verify accuracy and reliability.

Recommender systems have been applied in several areas, including e-Health systems, which refers to information and health services enhanced through technology. However, most studies aim at imposing rules to improve lifestyle, rather than recommending nutrition and physical activities. In this context, this study aims to develop a system for recommending physical activities for hypertensive patients to create opportunities for the patients so they can search for and create a healthy lifestyle. To achieve this goal, we elaborated on a hypertensive user profile model, called HyperModel2PAR, and a physical activity recommender system for hypertensive patients, called HyperRecSysPA. The model resulting from this study is composed of 32 elements divided into three groups, which were used in the modeling of user profiles within the system for generating HyperRecSysPA recommendations. The developed system was validated by physicians who answered a specific questionnaire. As a result, ∼ 75% of the recommendations generated were approved. Therefore, this study has prospective contributions to the literature, since both models obtained conclusive results in the assessments performed.

Brazil's Family Health Strategy (FHS) leads public health policies and actions regarding community health, addressing arterial hypertension (AH) in primary care settings. In this scenario, the use of communication technologies becomes appropriate for the monitoring of patients with AH. To preliminary verify the intervention approach and the effects of using an m-Health application on the health conditions of patients with AH for a future study, we conducted a non-randomized, controlled, non-blind trial (N = 39), comparing the use of a mobile health app (m-Health) with conventional AH monitoring over 3 months. During the study, we promoted health information workshops to engage patients from both intervention and control groups. Pre and post-intervention, we compared measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure; food frequency questionnaire; Appraisal of Self-Care Agency Scale; blood tests of hemogram, creatinine, uric acid, sodium, potassium, lipid profile, and glycemia. Improvements were identified in both groups due to the workshops, including the reduction in total and non-HDL cholesterol, healthier consumption of salads and sugary drinks, and increased selfcare scores. Exclusively in the intervention group, which used the m-Health app, there was a change in systolic and diastolic pressure towards more adequate levels. In addition, the intervention group had improved levels of glucose and HDL cholesterol and reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods. In conclusion, the use of an m-Health app had positive effects on the health conditions of patients with AH under treatment within FHS, especially when combined with health information. On the context of FHS, the use of technology is encouraging supporting better health conditions. Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the main modifiable risk factors for diseases of the circulatory system. With a high prevalence, AH is considered one of the most important public health problems. The World Health Organization estimates that about 600 million people have AH and, annually, 7.1 million individuals die from this disease, substantially burdening health systems 1. Among the AH modifiable factors, either by medication or by altering habits and behavior, there is obesity, sedentary lifestyle, eating habits, and stress. Controlling blood pressure can still be a challenge since, with everyday activities and lack of time, many people do not bother to maintain their normal blood pressure levels 2. Among the main non-medicinal recommendations that should be followed, there are healthy eating, physical activity, reduction of sodium and alcohol consumption, and non-consumption of tobacco 3 .

Poor adherence to hypertension treatment increases complications of the disease and is characterized by a lack of awareness and acceptance of ongoing treatment. Mobile health (mHealth) apps can optimize processes and facilitate access to health information by combining treatment methods with attractive solutions. In this study, we aimed at verifying the influence of using an mHealth app on patients’ adherence to hypertension treatment, also examining how user experience toward the app influenced the outcomes. A total of 49 participants completed the study, men and women, diagnosed with hypertension and ongoing medical treatment. For 12 weeks, the control group continued with conventional monitoring, while the experimental group used an mHealth app. From the experimental group, at baseline, 8% were non-adherent, 64% were partial adherents and 28% were adherent to the treatment. Baseline in the control group indicated 4.2% non-adherents, 58.3% partial adherents, and 37.5% adherents. After follow-up, the experimental group had an increase to 92% adherent, 8% partially adherent, and 0% non-adherent (P < 0.001). In the control group, adherence after follow-up remained virtually the same (P ≥ 0.999). Results of user experience were substantially positive and indicate that the participants in the experimental group had a satisfactory perception of the app. In conclusion, this study suggests that using an mHealth app can empower patients to manage their own health and increase adherence to hypertension treatment, especially when the app provides a positive user experience.

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