Quality assessment of menopause apps using Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) in India

Menopause marks the end of the reproductive cycle in women and is often associated with myriads of symptoms impacting physical and mental health. In addition to standard management therapies, women also use digital solutions to manage their menopausal symptoms. Although they have proven to be useful and effective, the credibility, privacy and quality are questionable, including in Indian context. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the quality of menopause apps accessible in India via the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The study included mobile applications focused solely on menopause and its management, available in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in India. Apps in English and Indian languages, free to download, and developed by both local and foreign enterprises were considered. Exclusions were made for paid or subscription-based apps, those requiring external devices, apps that crashed, focused on physical fitness, those targeted medical professionals, or those that were duplicates. From June to August 2024, the apps were identified and assessed for their functions, features and content using MARS. Fifteen apps satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, three of which were developed in India. Most of the apps required the internet to function and email addresses to log in. Only four apps (two Indian apps and two apps developed abroad) had a mean score above 3 (a score of 3 or more implies a high quality and well-functioning app), highlighting the need for significant improvements in the quality of menopause apps in India. The India-based apps offered features that were location specific and content that was appropriate for the local context. The quality assessment of menopause apps revealed that the India-based apps were on par but lacked certain features that could retain more users. There is a need for systematic assessment to monitor health apps for their quality.