BACKGROUND: The proliferation of health apps in the digital health landscape has created significant opportunities for health promotion, particularly during pregnancy. However, despite the widespread distribution and popularity of pregnancy mobile apps, there are limited data on their quality and content.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the quality, content accuracy, and suitability of the most popular and freely available Persian mobile health (mHealth) apps for prenatal care in expectant mothers.
METHODS: Through a systematic search, a total of 199 apps were screened from available app stores using the search term "pregnancy app" until July 2023. Inclusion criteria were apps in the Farsi language, freely available, downloaded more than 10,000 times, and designed for pregnant women. Ultimately, 9 apps met these criteria. These apps were downloaded onto mobile phones and assessed by 2 independent reviewers using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS), the Coverage and Depth of Information Checklist, and the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM). Statistical analyses explored relationships between app quality metrics and user ratings.
RESULTS: The 9 apps evaluated had an average MARS score of 3.55 (SD 0.61) out of 5. Aesthetics (mean 4.02, SD 0.45) and Functionality (mean 4.11, SD 0.36) scored the highest, followed by Engagement (mean 3.29, SD 0.53) and Information (mean 3.09, SD 0.48). User star ratings did not strongly correlate with MARS scores (r=0.38, P>.05). Regarding health information coverage, 6 out of 9 (66.7%) apps were rated as poor, and 3 (33.3%) as adequate. For SAM, 4 (44.4%) apps were rated as superior and 5 (55.6%) as adequate. No app received a poor score.
CONCLUSIONS: The study underscores the need for improved standards in pregnancy app development to enhance educational efficacy and user satisfaction. Health care providers should recommend high-quality pregnancy apps with appropriate content to ensure effective health promotion. These findings contribute to understanding the current landscape of pregnancy apps and highlight areas for future research and regulatory attention.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42023461605; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=461605.
