Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026

Using an Automated Hirschberg Test App to Evaluate Ocular Alignment
Published on: March 24, 2020
Motivational Factors for User Engagement with mHealth Apps
Ashenafi Zebene Woldaregay1, David-Zacharie Issom2, André Henriksen3
1Department of Computer Science, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
Abstract:
The widespread adoption of smartphones creates an enormous potential to improve healthcare services. Numerous apps, sensors, and devices are developed for health self-management purposes. However, adoption rates remain low and long-term user engagement is a major issue. The goal of this study is to identify major motivational factors that can facilitate prolonged use of mobile health systems. To this end, we conducted 16 interviews with representatives of various cultural backgrounds, disease history, age, and gender. Participants' experiences indicated that existing systems were unable to answer their self-management needs properly. People with a disease history favored learning from data, as well as from others via social media integration. People without chronic disease felt more reserved about social media integration. In conclusion, systems that collect and share personal data should have a clear opt-in or opt-out option to motivate usage. Additionally, researchers and mobile health system developers could achieve long-term adoption by giving clear answers to privacy and trust issues, while offering people strong added value according to their individual needs.
Related Concept Videos
Secondary Motives: Power Motivation and Achievement Motivation
Power motivation is characterized by the desire to influence, control, or have an impact on others. It is shaped by an individual's experiences, social environment, and cultural context. People with high power motivation are...
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Motivational Bias
Motivational Cycle
The cycle begins with a need. This need can arise from various conditions, such as hunger, thirst, or temperature changes. For instance, when an individual feels cold, their body...
Introduction to Motivation and Emotion
Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus...

