French Version of the User Mobile Application Rating Scale: Adaptation and Validation Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Mobile Health (mHealth)

Background:

• Effective noncommunicable disease management relies on eHealth tools like mHealth apps.
• The user Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) assesses mHealth app quality from a user perspective.
• A French version of uMARS is needed to evaluate mHealth apps in French-speaking regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and culturally adapt the user Mobile Application Rating Scale into French (uMARS-F).
• To test the overall and internal reliability of the French version (uMARS-F).

Main Methods:

• Cross-cultural adaptation and translation using a universalist approach.
• Cohort study involving French-speaking adults assessing the 'MonSherpa' mHealth app using uMARS-F twice.
• Reliability testing using intraclass correlation coefficients and Cronbach's alpha; concordance analysis via paired t-tests and Pearson correlation.

Main Results:

• 167 participants completed the study with 100% compliance.
• Excellent intraclass correlation coefficients for objective (0.959) and subjective quality (0.993), moderate for perceived impact (0.624).
• Good Cronbach's alpha for objective quality (0.881), acceptable for subjective quality (0.701), and excellent for perceived impact (0.936). High consistency was observed across all measures.

Conclusions:

• The uMARS-F is a valid and reliable tool for end-users to evaluate mHealth app quality in French-speaking contexts.
• uMARS-F can aid healthcare professionals and authorities in identifying high-quality mHealth apps for patients.
• Integration into French healthcare education programs is recommended to promote the use of validated mHealth tools.