To answer the effectiveness question, researchers at the University of California recruited 212 overweight middle-aged women to embark on a weight loss program Ann Intern Med. This app integrates diet, exercise, calorie intake and weight management goals. The app ‘My Fitness Pal’ (see figure 1) claims on their website () that “Millions of people have lost weight with MyFitnessPal’s FREE calorie counter.” However, only anecdotal stories appeared on the website, not actual statistical follow up with users.įigure 1: MyFitnessPal App Screen grab from MyFitnessPal. I went looking for stats on how many people actually lose weight, build muscle or gain strength using apps and couldn’t find any published results. Yet, how many of us download apps without questioning the validity of the information they provide the stats they track, or their ability to foster a desired change in our athletic performance? A thorough review of the submission requirements for new apps to the Apple App Store reveals that while an app must be easy to use and bug free, only medical apps with information used to diagnose or treat patients are brought under any sort of scientific scrutiny. Undoubtedly, that number is larger today, with a multitude of apps geared toward athletes. In 2010, nearly one in 10 smartphone users downloaded apps from the health and fitness category Health Educ Behav. These pieces of software, known as ‘apps’, use the mobile’s operating system to perform specific tasks. The operating systems in today’s smartphones contain application-programming interfaces that allow for the running of third party applications on the device. Experts predict that number will rise even higher by the end of 2016 Sensors. They are so common, in fact, that in 2014 an estimated 80% of the world’s population owned one CBr J Sports Med. Are you a compulsive mobile tapper when training? Alicia Filley investigates the validity and reliability of mobile apps and asks whether they really add value to your training programme.
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