Preferences on smartphone app features to monitor physical activity in asymptomatic brazilian adults according to cardiovascular risk

Abstract – Analyzing feature preferences of smartphone applications is imperative, especially among subjects with high cardiovascular risk (CVR) who primarily benefit from increasing regular physical activity. We aimed to identify feature preferences for smartphone applications to monitor physical activity in Brazilian asymptomatic adults stratified according to CVR. A cross-sectional study with 238 asymptomatic adults was conducted. Features preferences were assessed through a survey based on the following topics: Personal/individualized, Training, Performance, Social aspect, Feedback, Motivation, Suggestions, and Other. Participants were divided into two groups according to self-reported CVR (low CVR, ≤ 2, and moderate-to-high CVR, > 2 risk factors) and compared using the x2 test. The moderate-to-high CVR group considered “develop a training schedule/program” and “save and review training statistics” less critical than speech navigation and receiving encouragement and motivational messages. Although reported by both groups, “monitor own progression” is more important for low CVR. The “compete with friends” feature was less reported than “being part of a community/group” for both groups. Lastly, understanding the features preferences allows the improvement of smartphones applications to become more attractive to subjects with chronic conditions.