Is the use of mobile health apps healthy or toxic to consumers?

Abstract

Increasingly omnipresent and powerful mobile technology has the potential to address long-standing issues in the healthcare sector. mHealth (mobile health) apps can be used by consumers or patients for their wellness, prevention or treatment management. This study explored the scale of awareness of mHealth apps and the perception of using mHealth apps for monitoring health in Mauri tius. The study also explored the barriers they faced. The results have shown that the people of Mauritius are aware and have downloaded and used mHealth apps. Fitness seems to be important, as most of the respondents find the fitness training app most useful. The findi ngs have also shown that biggest barrier that prevents the respondents from using a mHealth app is cost concerns and privacy or security. Hence, it is recommended that the cost of mobile apps be investigated. Furthermore, there should be communication from app creators about the benefits of using a particular app, as well as the security measures and protection of private users and their information.