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. 2023 Nov 16;18(11):e0292390.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292390. eCollection 2023.

Healthy adults' views and experiences on behavior change strategies in mobile applications for diet monitoring: A single centre qualitative study

Nur Melissa Abdul Khalil  1 , Fadzilah Hanum Mohd Mydin  1 , Foong Ming Moy  2
Affiliations

Healthy adults' views and experiences on behavior change strategies in mobile applications for diet monitoring: A single centre qualitative study

Nur Melissa Abdul Khalil et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Mobile diet apps assist in tracking nutritional intake and managing healthy eating diets. Effective diet apps incorporate specific population-tailored behavior change strategies (BCS) for user engagement and adherence to healthy diets. Malaysians have their unique behaviors and customs surrounding food and diet. This study aims to explore the perceptions, views, and experiences of healthy Malaysian adults with diet monitoring apps, by focusing on the BCS that engages users to use diet mobile apps and adhere to a healthy diet. A qualitative approach utilizing semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted using a topic guide based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and trigger materials. Twenty interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Five themes emerged from the data, which are; instilling self-awareness, closed online group support, shaping knowledge, personalization, and user-friendly design. Influence by one's social circle and attractiveness of app features may initiate users' interest and help them engage with mobile diet apps, but the app's ability to raise awareness of progress and impart useful knowledge help them adhere and comply to a healthier diet in the long run. The results from this study may help improve the behavior change strategy features of mobile diet apps for Malaysian adults.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Grants and funding

This study is funded by the Impact-Oriented Interdisciplinary Research Grant Programme (IIRG) from the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia (MOHE). Reference Number: IIRG002B-19HWB (F.H.M.M.) URL: https://researchcluster.um.edu.my/impact-oriented-interdisciplinary-research-grant-iirg-programme The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.