Analyzing Mobile Health Apps for Children Growth Monitoring and Mental Health

#Benchmarking Pediatric Care App

The popularity and availability of mobile parenting health apps have grown exponentially since 2015 in Indonesia, but there is little data on feature information. In this research, we observe and compare the application feature information as well as the technology information behind the Application. A comprehensive mobile parenting health application with a combination of physical and mental measurements is the main concern of this study.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to get an overview of the development of mobile parenting health applications in Indonesia and their features.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We review existing apps with our search query is a parenting, baby health care, pediatrician, and baby development application on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store which is translated into Indonesian. To analyze eligible apps, we collect information from their app store descriptions, including features, Developer affiliation, specialization, release date, App category, and total user reviews. In addition, we conducted a Google search to learn more about developer affiliations.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Total of 17 mobile App collected, the application is limited to having Indonesian language features and available in IOS or Android.

• Unclear of App Developer Information

Parenting App was first established in 2015 (1 App), with steady growth between 2016 to 2019, and fast growth from 2020 based on release year information. During the assessment, we observed that most of the apps did not mention the credentials of the author or professionals who helped develop the app together in the app store description. Currently, very few apps have their own websites to give users an understanding of who they are.

• Comprehensive feature

One of the most common features is a Physical growth tracker and mental growth stimulation and milestone child growth indicator. Even some Apps have features that involve paramedics directly with teleconsultation and indirectly with Q&A features. It could be increasing user activity within the App and engagement with the App, proven to be beneficial for parents as well as to healthcare providers. From an overview of features: 10 Applications have physical measurement features such as child growth tracker, anthropometry, growth and development, nutritional status, etc. 11 Applications have mental features such as monitoring children's growth and development, stimulation, early detection of child growth and development, etc. Furthermore, 7 Applications have physical (P) features and mental (M) features, and 3 Applications of them have paramedic involvement to support application services. 5 Apps have interaction in user features, 2 for Apps with mental features, and 3 for Apps with both M-P features. The highest total number of users with 1 million+ users in one App, followed by 500k+ users in 2 Apps, and the lowest is 500+ users in 1 App.

• App Categorization

The categorization of each App is a big gap. Application categories based on information in the Play store (android), 7 Apps in the parenting category, 6 health and fitness, 3 medical, and 1 entertainment. Differences and categories of uncertainty can leave users confused when they are looking for an App for their needs

CONCLUSION

Personalized mobile applications can empower parents with immediate support and improve the quality of growth and involvement of children in the long term, as validated by paramedic involvement is an important part. While there are many mobile apps available, finding the right one can be difficult This makes it difficult for users to filter and categorize applications, even one application in this study is categorized as entertainment on the Play store (android based). To find a trustworthy application, it is very useful for users to have information about the source of the content or provided that the author is easily available during the search. In particular, the results of this study help inform the decision-making process related to content selection in application development