BENEFITS OF HEALTH-TRACKING APPS: EVIDENCE FROM LONGITUDINAL RANDOMIZED TRIAL

Abstract

Usage of Health-tracking apps to track wellness metrics of day to day life is on the rise but there is a lack of scientific evidence on its benefits for the users. The objective of this study is to analyze the benefits of using Health-tracking apps on first time users over a trial period of 15 days. It is a randomized longitudinal study conducted from T1: 16th April 2019 to T2: 30th April 2019. Current application markets are flooded with numerous apps like Runtastic, HealthifyMe, Health Tracker, etc. One such app is Google Fit that was primarily used in this study. It is a simple app by Google which measures metrics like Steps, Calories and Distance travelled using GPS and AI technology. It uses these metrics to give Move per Minute and Heart Points to its users. In the present study, participants were asked to fill a pre-trial questionnaire which measured their Health Consciousness, Overall Psychological Well-Being and Perceived Physical Health before the start of the experiment. Standard questionnaire items of Health Consciousness by Dutta-Bergman and PERMA-Profiler by Butler & Kern were used for this initial stage. The respondents of the pre-questionnaire (T1) were asked to download Google Fit app on their mobile devices. They were also given the liberty to choose any other app of their choice as long as it measured the basic metrics of Steps, Calories and Distance. The respondents were asked to track their health using this app and were informed that they were now the part of the experimental trial. Respondents could also voluntarily record the daily data of the same in an excel sheet to help with the second objective of the study to see trend in the usage of the app. After 15 days, the post-trial questionnaire (T2) was floated to the respondents with the same items as first questionnaire along with a section of their tracking experience. This data was then analyzed by studying the descriptive means of the parameters and difference in the means was calculated to determine percentage increase in health-related behavior of the users. It was found that there was significant increase in means of parameters defining well-being and usage of health-tracking apps had a positive effect on a user’s health parameters. It was also found that the motivation to use the app declined overtime and it needed stimulation to keep the user engaged.