Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jun 18:7:1621293.
doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1621293. eCollection 2025.

Beyond the interface: benchmarking pediatric mobile health applications for monitoring child growth using the Mobile App Rating Scale

Anggi Septia Irawan  1 , Arie Dwi Alristina  2   3 , Rizky Dzariyani Laili  3 , Nuke Amalia  4 , Arief Purnama Muharram  5 , Adriana Viola Miranda  6 , Bence Döbrössy  1 , Edmond Girasek  1
Affiliations

Beyond the interface: benchmarking pediatric mobile health applications for monitoring child growth using the Mobile App Rating Scale

Anggi Septia Irawan et al. Front Digit Health. .

Abstract

Introduction: As mHealth applications become increasingly adopted in Indonesia, it is crucial to assess their quality and usability for parents and healthcare professionals.

Aim: This study evaluated the quality of pediatric-related mobile health (mHealth) applications available in Indonesia, focusing on their ability to support child growth monitoring and provide educational resources for parents and caregivers.

Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study. From December 1, 2024, and January 31, 2025 we conducted systematic search for pediatric mHealth applications in Indonesian Google Play Store and Apple App Store using predetermined keywords. Inclusion criteria required the applications to be available in Bahasa Indonesia, focus on child health, and include growth tracking or stunting prevention features. We excluded applications that were not functioning during the testing period. Quality assessment was conducted by five healthcare professionals using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). MARS assessed applications from multiple domains, including engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality. Inter-rater reliability was ensured using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and T-tests. A p-value of <0.05 is considered to be statistically significant.

Findings: Nine applications were included in this study. Seven of the applications (77.78%) focused on tracking child growth and development and providing educational content. Less than half of the apps had built-in community features that enabled social support (n = 4, 44.44%) and features for feedback mechanisms & personalized guidance (n = 3, 33.33%) respectively. The majority were developed by commercial companies (n = 7, 77.78%). Quality assessment found significant variability across the apps, with high functionality and aesthetics scores but more variability in the domains of app engagement, quality of information, and subjective quality or perceived value.

Conclusion: This research underscored the need for the development of higher-quality, evidence-based mHealth apps for pediatric care in Indonesia, particularly in improving user engagement, feedback mechanisms and accessibility.

Keywords: assessment; digital health; e-health; pediatric care; stunting prevention; user experience (UX); user interface (UI).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the pediatric care mobile apps selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Apps characteristics based on theoretical background and strategies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Apps characteristics based on affiliation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Apps characteristics based on technical aspects of the apps.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Heatmap visualization of comparison MARS mean score.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Boxplot of MARS scores across sections.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Correlation matrix MARS categories.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Average MARS behavioral outcomes by category.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Average MARS behavioral scores by apps.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Comparison of MARS scores between commercial and non-commercial apps.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Wang J-W, Zhu Z, Shuling Z, Fan J, Jin Y, Gao Z-L, et al. Effectiveness of mHealth app–based interventions for increasing physical activity and improving physical fitness in children and adolescents. Systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. (2024) 12:e51478. 10.2196/51478 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee J, Su Z, Chen Y. Mobile Apps for Children’s Health and Wellbeing: Design Features and Future Opportunities. (1942-597X (Electronic)). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Caroline B, Sandi C, Shazima T, Viveca L. Parents’ perceptions about future digital parental support-A phenomenographic interview study. Front Digit Health. (2021) 3:729697. 10.3389/fdgth.2021.729697 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jaggi L, Aguilar L, Alvarado Llatance M, Castellanos A, Fink G, Hinckley K, et al. Digital tools to improve parenting behaviour in low-income settings: a mixed-methods feasibility study. Arch Dis Child. (2023) 108(6):433–9. 10.1136/archdischild-2022-324964 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. UNESCO. Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education – A Tool on Whose Terms? PARIS: Unesco; (2023).

LinkOut - more resources