The Effects of Personal and Social Uses of Mobile Health Applications on Healthy Behaviors. Issue 2 (15th March 2017) - Tikkanen, Stephanie A.
Abstract : In the face of America's obesity epidemic, mobile health applications (MHAs) offer solutions for motivating users to be healthier. MHAs include both personal features for the individual user (e.g., calorie tracking) and social features, which connect the user to others (e.g., for support or competition). The present study explores the connection between both personal and social uses of MHAs and healthy behaviors. Findings indicate that the use of MHAs is positively associated with healthier overall behaviors: Personal aspects were related to healthier eating and workout behaviors, and social aspects were positively associated with only healthier workout behaviors. Perceptions of social support from others predicted healthier overall behaviors and were related to increased body satisfaction. Implications for the role of social support in MHAs are discussed.