Spanish adaptation and validation of the Mobile Application Rating Scale questionnaire

Martín-Payo, Rubén; Álvarez, Marina; Díaz, Marcelo; Izquierdo, Marcelino Cuesta; Stoyanov, Stoyan; Suárez, E. Llaneza

doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.06.005

Cited by 48 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…As per the validation of the German version of MARS, each search term was provided separately, as no truncation or use of logic operators (AND, OR, and NOT) was possible in the Google Play and Apple Store. In our study, two raters downloaded and then evaluated 10 apps that were randomly selected for training and piloting purposes as in the initial English version of MARS against 5 apps in the Italian [ 2 ], Spanish [ 13 ], and German development versions [ 14 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the Arabic version of MARS, the internal consistency was good for engagement and esthetics , good for information quality , and acceptable for functionality [ 15 ]. All Cronbach alpha coefficients were judged to be at least acceptable for the Italian version of MARS [ 2 ], and these values were high for the Spanish [ 13 ] version of MARS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Promoting Health via mHealth Applications Using a French Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale: Adaptation and Validation Study

Saliasi¹,

Martinon²,

Darlington³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background In the recent decades, the number of apps promoting health behaviors and health-related strategies and interventions has increased alongside the number of smartphone users. Nevertheless, the validity process for measuring and reporting app quality remains unsatisfactory for health professionals and end users and represents a public health concern. The Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) is a tool validated and widely used in the scientific literature to evaluate and compare mHealth app functionalities. However, MARS is not adapted to the French culture nor to the language. Objective This study aims to translate, adapt, and validate the equivalent French version of MARS (ie, MARS-F). Methods The original MARS was first translated to French by two independent bilingual scientists, and their common version was blind back-translated twice by two native English speakers, culminating in a final well-established MARS-F. Its comprehensibility was then evaluated by 6 individuals (3 researchers and 3 nonacademics), and the final MARS-F version was created. Two bilingual raters independently completed the evaluation of 63 apps using MARS and MARS-F. Interrater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. In addition, internal consistency and validity of both scales were assessed. Mokken scale analysis was used to investigate the scalability of both MARS and MARS-F. Results MARS-F had a good alignment with the original MARS, with properties comparable between the two scales. The correlation coefficients (r) between the corresponding dimensions of MARS and MARS-F ranged from 0.97 to 0.99. The internal consistencies of the MARS-F dimensions engagement (ω=0.79), functionality (ω=0.79), esthetics (ω=0.78), and information quality (ω=0.61) were acceptable and that for the overall MARS score (ω=0.86) was good. Mokken scale analysis revealed a strong scalability for MARS (Loevinger H=0.37) and a good scalability for MARS-F (H=0.35). Conclusions MARS-F is a valid tool, and it would serve as a crucial aid for researchers, health care professionals, public health authorities, and interested third parties, to assess the quality of mHealth apps in French-speaking countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting Health via mHealth Applications Using a French Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale: Adaptation and Validation Study

Saliasi¹,

Martinon²,

Darlington³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…This scale has already been used for assessing the quality of smoking cessation apps in the Australian market, with a high interrater reliability (IRR) between raters (interclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.807) [ 15 ]. The scale is largely used and translated in different languages with a high intraclass correlation coefficient and good internal consistency [ 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavior Change Techniques in Popular Mobile Apps for Smoking Cessation in France: Content Analysis

Bustamante¹,

Ménard²,

Sweerts³

et al. 2021

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background The mobile app market differs from country to country, and to date, no previous review of the content quality of smoking cessation apps has been conducted in France. Objective This study aimed to examine the general quality of the most popular smoking cessation apps in France and also determine the degree to which apps adhere to established behavioral and cognitive techniques (BCTs) proven effective in clinical practice. Methods A systematic research of smoking cessation apps was conducted in both the Google Play Store and Apple Store in the French market. The general quality of popular apps was rated with the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), and the therapeutic quality was assessed with the ratio of adherence of the behavior change technique taxonomy for smoking cessation treatment. Results A total of 14 mobile apps met all the inclusion criteria of the content analysis. The interrater reliability varied from “substantial” (0.79) to “almost perfect” (0.9) for the two measures. The mean MARS score was 3.5 out of 5 (median 3.6, IQR 0.6 [3.2-3.8]). The findings suggest that popular apps focus primarily on the functionality dimension of the MARS scale (4.2/5). The mean number of BCTs was 22, with a large difference between apps (minimum 4, maximum 38). At least half of the apps addressed motivation (8.8/14, 63%) and advised on using behavioral skills in order to quit smoking or stay a nonsmoker (8.7/14, 62%). However, only a handful of apps gathered important information (5.9/14, 42%) in order to deliver proper advice regarding the use of approved medication or the implementation of behavioral techniques (4.3/14, 31%). The mean MARS score was positively correlated with the price (r=0.70, P=.007) and the number of BCTs used (r=0.67, P=.01). User rating was not correlated with any quality scale (P=.67). Conclusions The content quality of popular smoking cessation apps in France varied by app type and price. Most popular apps propose in general good quality content but lack implementation of evidence-based BCTs associated with effectiveness on smoking cessation treatment. Further research is needed to evaluate the improvement in the content quality of smoking cessation apps in France.

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“…By using the MARS, a score is calculated with four multi-item sections: Engagement (5 items), functionality (4 items), aesthetics (3 items), and information quality (7 items); additionally, there is a subjective section (4 items)[ 86 ]. MARS is a validated scale and is now available in different languages, such as German[ 87 ] and Spanish[ 88 ].…”

Section: Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of mobile health and medical applications on clinical practice in gastroenterology

Kernebeck¹,

Busse²,

Böttcher³

et al. 2020

WJG

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Mobile health apps (MHAs) and medical apps (MAs) are becoming increasingly popular as digital interventions in a wide range of health-related applications in almost all sectors of healthcare. The surge in demand for digital medical solutions has been accelerated by the need for new diagnostic and therapeutic methods in the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This also applies to clinical practice in gastroenterology, which has, in many respects, undergone a recent digital transformation with numerous consequences that will impact patients and health care professionals in the near future. MHAs and MAs are considered to have great potential, especially for chronic diseases, as they can support the self-management of patients in many ways. Despite the great potential associated with the application of MHAs and MAs in gastroenterology and health care in general, there are numerous challenges to be met in the future, including both the ethical and legal aspects of applying this technology. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current status of MHA and MA use in the field of gastroenterology, describe the future perspectives in this field and point out some of the challenges that need to be addressed.

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Spanish adaptation and validation of the Mobile Application Rating Scale questionnaire

Cited by 48 publications

References 24 publications

Promoting Health via mHealth Applications Using a French Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale: Adaptation and Validation Study

Promoting Health via mHealth Applications Using a French Version of the Mobile App Rating Scale: Adaptation and Validation Study

Behavior Change Techniques in Popular Mobile Apps for Smoking Cessation in France: Content Analysis

Impact of mobile health and medical applications on clinical practice in gastroenterology

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