Mobile Apps for Children's Health and Wellbeing: Design Features and Future Opportunities

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Pediatric Wellness Technology
• Mobile Health Applications

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) apps show promise for enhancing children's health and wellbeing.
• Current understanding of how these apps are designed to meet children's health needs is limited.
• A comprehensive review of existing children's mHealth apps is needed to identify design gaps and opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the current landscape of mobile health applications designed for children.
• To identify dominant health focuses, user expectations, and engagement strategies in children's mHealth apps.
• To provide recommendations for improving the design of mHealth apps for children, including those with chronic illnesses.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative analysis was conducted on 43 mobile health apps marketed for children, sourced from iOS and Google Play stores.
• The review focused on identifying app features, target users, engagement methods, and health objectives.
• Analysis aimed to understand how apps address children's health concerns and wellness goals.

Main Results:

• The study identified key health focuses and goals prevalent in children's mHealth apps.
• Analysis revealed insights into primary users, their expectations, and the engagement techniques employed by these apps.
• Opportunities for supporting children with chronic conditions and ensuring age-appropriateness and digital safety were highlighted.

Conclusions:

• There is a need for improved design strategies in children's mHealth apps to enhance engagement and effectiveness.
• Recommendations are provided for app designers, researchers, and policymakers to foster better digital health solutions for children.
• Future app development should prioritize age appropriateness, digital health safety, and the potential for dual use (e.g., for chronic illness management).