A Facebook-Based Obesity Prevention Program for Korean American Adolescents: Usability Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Adolescent obesity presents a significant global public health concern.
• Social networking sites are highly popular among adolescents.
• A culturally tailored obesity prevention program, Healthy Teens, was developed on Facebook for Korean American adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usability of the culturally tailored, Facebook-based obesity prevention program named Healthy Teens.
• Assess the program's suitability for delivering health education to Korean American adolescents.

Main Methods:

• An explorative descriptive design utilizing usability testing.
• Methods included one-on-one observation, think-aloud protocol, audio taping, screen capture, and surveys.
• Content analysis of transcriptions and descriptive statistics for quantitative data were employed.

Main Results:

• Usability issues were identified in content, appearance, and navigation, though content comments were positive.
• Participants found the program's appearance appropriate despite Facebook's platform limitations.
• Most participants navigated the program without significant difficulty.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings suggest the Healthy Teens program is perceived as usable and useful by participants.
• The program demonstrates potential as a platform for adolescent health education.
• Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of such Facebook-based programs on adolescent obesity prevention.