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Nutrition Management Miniprograms in WeChat: Evaluation of Functionality and Quality.
Hui Sun1, Yanping Wu1, Jia Sun2
1School of Medicine, Southeast University, No.87 Dingjiaqiao, Hunan Road, Naning, 210003, China.
JMIR Human Factors
|September 12, 2024
Summary
China's WeChat nutrition apps focus more on general health than specific nutrition advice. While widely used, their quality is average, indicating a need for improved nutritional features and functionality.
Area of Science:
- Digital Health
- Nutrition Informatics
- Mobile Health Applications
Background:
- Increasing living standards and aging populations drive demand for advanced medical and healthcare services.
- Mobile nutritional health management platforms on WeChat are prevalent in China for health promotion and monitoring.
- A scientific evaluation of the functionality and quality of these numerous nutrition-focused WeChat miniprograms is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the functionality and quality of WeChat nutrition management miniprograms available in China.
- To assess the current state of digital nutrition tools using a standardized rating scale.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative observational study analyzing WeChat miniprograms related to nutrition, diet, food, and meals.
- Data extraction included registration, update dates, service type, user, and functional scores (Jan 2017–Nov 2023).
- Independent evaluation of miniprogram quality using the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS).
Main Results:
- Out of 891 identified miniprograms, 27 were relevant; 85.2% offered diet management, 70.4% nutrition education, 59.3% exercise management, and 44.4% weight management.
- Overall uMARS quality scores ranged from 2.85 to 3.88 (median 3.38).
- Engagement, functional, aesthetic, and informational dimension scores indicated an average quality level with variability.
Conclusions:
- WeChat nutrition miniprograms prioritize general health features over specific nutritional content.
- The overall quality of these digital nutrition tools is average, with significant potential for functional enhancement.
- Future development should focus on improving specific nutritional functionalities to better meet user needs.
