Harmful smartphone applications promoting alcohol and illicit substance use: a review and content analysis in the United States

Ghassemlou, Shouron; Marini, Christina; Chemi, Chemi; Ranjit, Yerina S.; Tofighi, Babak

doi:10.1093/tbm/ibz135

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Mobile apps are a novel way to deliver therapy programs on mobile devices and share similarities to web-based or computer-based therapy programs. Over 2200 mobile apps claim to deliver therapy for several mental health conditions but lack rigorous validation, are not necessarily based on therapeutic principles, are gamified and addictive, or harm recovery [ 1 , 43 , 74 , 154 , 180 , 185 , 187 , 194 - 196 , 198 , 200 , 231 , 237 , 280 , 308 , 333 , 356 , 368 ]. Furthermore, 38% of trials for mobile apps were uncontrolled ( Table 2 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Health Interventions for Delivery of Mental Health Care: Systematic and Comprehensive Meta-Review

Philippe¹,

Sikder²,

Jackson³

et al. 2022

JMIR Ment Health

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted mental health care delivery to digital platforms, videoconferencing, and other mobile communications. However, existing reviews of digital health interventions are narrow in scope and focus on a limited number of mental health conditions. Objective To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive systematic meta-review of the literature to assess the state of digital health interventions for the treatment of mental health conditions. Methods We searched MEDLINE for secondary literature published between 2010 and 2021 on the use, efficacy, and appropriateness of digital health interventions for the delivery of mental health care. Results Of the 3022 records identified, 466 proceeded to full-text review and 304 met the criteria for inclusion in this study. A majority (52%) of research involved the treatment of substance use disorders, 29% focused on mood, anxiety, and traumatic stress disorders, and >5% for each remaining mental health conditions. Synchronous and asynchronous communication, computerized therapy, and cognitive training appear to be effective but require further examination in understudied mental health conditions. Similarly, virtual reality, mobile apps, social media platforms, and web-based forums are novel technologies that have the potential to improve mental health but require higher quality evidence. Conclusions Digital health interventions offer promise in the treatment of mental health conditions. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health interventions provide a safer alternative to face-to-face treatment. However, further research on the applications of digital interventions in understudied mental health conditions is needed. Additionally, evidence is needed on the effectiveness and appropriateness of digital health tools for patients who are marginalized and may lack access to digital health interventions.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Health Interventions for Delivery of Mental Health Care: Systematic and Comprehensive Meta-Review

Philippe¹,

Sikder²,

Jackson³

et al. 2022

JMIR Ment Health

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show abstract

“…Today, >318,000 health apps are available on the app stores [ 83 ], most of which are not recognizably evidence based [ 79 , 84 ]. Many apps, especially in the field of alcohol use, even promote harmful behavior [ 85 ]. Efforts have been undertaken to develop frameworks for app quality evaluation [ 86 , 87 ], as well as provide systematic evaluations of the apps available in specified health fields [ 88 - 90 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Assessment Tools Using Animation Features to Quantify Alcohol Consumption: Systematic App Store and Literature Review

Wiemker¹,

Neufeld²,

Bunova³

et al. 2022

J Med Internet Res

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Background Accurate and user-friendly assessment tools for quantifying alcohol consumption are a prerequisite for effective interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm. Digital assessment tools (DATs) that allow the description of consumed alcoholic drinks through animation features may facilitate more accurate reporting than conventional approaches. Objective This review aims to identify and characterize freely available DATs in English or Russian that use animation features to support the quantitative assessment of alcohol consumption (alcohol DATs) and determine the extent to which such tools have been scientifically evaluated in terms of feasibility, acceptability, and validity. Methods Systematic English and Russian searches were conducted in iOS and Android app stores and via the Google search engine. Information on the background and content of eligible DATs was obtained from app store descriptions, websites, and test completions. A systematic literature review was conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science to identify English-language studies reporting the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of animation-using alcohol DATs. Where possible, the evaluated DATs were accessed and assessed. Owing to the high heterogeneity of study designs, results were synthesized narratively. Results We identified 22 eligible alcohol DATs in English, 3 (14%) of which were also available in Russian. More than 95% (21/22) of tools allowed the choice of a beverage type from a visually displayed selection. In addition, 36% (8/22) of tools enabled the choice of a drinking vessel. Only 9% (2/22) of tools allowed the simulated interactive pouring of a drink. For none of the tools published evaluation studies were identified in the literature review. The systematic literature review identified 5 exploratory studies evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of 4 animation-using alcohol DATs, 1 (25%) of which was available in the searched app stores. The evaluated tools reached moderate to high scores on user rating scales and showed fair to high convergent validity when compared with established assessment methods. Conclusions Animation-using alcohol DATs are available in app stores and on the web. However, they often use nondynamic features and lack scientific background information. Explorative study data suggest that such tools might enable the user-friendly and valid assessment of alcohol consumption and could thus serve as a building block in the reduction of alcohol-attributable health burden worldwide. Trial Registration PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020172825; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020172825

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“…Today, >318,000 health apps are available on the app stores [83], most of which are not recognizably evidence based [79,84]. Many apps, especially in the field of alcohol use, even promote harmful behavior [85]. Efforts have been undertaken to develop frameworks for app quality evaluation [86,87], as well as provide systematic evaluations of the apps available in specified health fields [88][89][90].…”

Section: Comparison With Prior Work and Future Research Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Assessment Tools Using Animation Features to Quantify Alcohol Consumption: Systematic App Store and Literature Review (Preprint)

Wiemker¹,

Neufeld²,

Bunova³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BACKGROUND Accurate and user-friendly assessment tools for quantifying alcohol consumption are a prerequisite for effective interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm. Digital assessment tools (DATs) that allow the description of consumed alcoholic drinks through animation features may facilitate more accurate reporting than conventional approaches. OBJECTIVE This review aims to identify and characterize freely available DATs in English or Russian that use animation features to support the quantitative assessment of alcohol consumption (alcohol DATs) and determine the extent to which such tools have been scientifically evaluated in terms of feasibility, acceptability, and validity. METHODS Systematic English and Russian searches were conducted in iOS and Android app stores and via the Google search engine. Information on the background and content of eligible DATs was obtained from app store descriptions, websites, and test completions. A systematic literature review was conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science to identify English-language studies reporting the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of animation-using alcohol DATs. Where possible, the evaluated DATs were accessed and assessed. Owing to the high heterogeneity of study designs, results were synthesized narratively. RESULTS We identified 22 eligible alcohol DATs in English, 3 (14%) of which were also available in Russian. More than 95% (21/22) of tools allowed the choice of a beverage type from a visually displayed selection. In addition, 36% (8/22) of tools enabled the choice of a drinking vessel. Only 9% (2/22) of tools allowed the simulated interactive pouring of a drink. For none of the tools published evaluation studies were identified in the literature review. The systematic literature review identified 5 exploratory studies evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of 4 animation-using alcohol DATs, 1 (25%) of which was available in the searched app stores. The evaluated tools reached moderate to high scores on user rating scales and showed fair to high convergent validity when compared with established assessment methods. CONCLUSIONS Animation-using alcohol DATs are available in app stores and on the web. However, they often use nondynamic features and lack scientific background information. Explorative study data suggest that such tools might enable the user-friendly and valid assessment of alcohol consumption and could thus serve as a building block in the reduction of alcohol-attributable health burden worldwide.

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Harmful smartphone applications promoting alcohol and illicit substance use: a review and content analysis in the United States

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

Digital Health Interventions for Delivery of Mental Health Care: Systematic and Comprehensive Meta-Review

Digital Health Interventions for Delivery of Mental Health Care: Systematic and Comprehensive Meta-Review

Digital Assessment Tools Using Animation Features to Quantify Alcohol Consumption: Systematic App Store and Literature Review

Digital Assessment Tools Using Animation Features to Quantify Alcohol Consumption: Systematic App Store and Literature Review (Preprint)

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