User adoption of mobile apps for chronic disease management: A case study based on myFitnessCompanion®

Health and Fitness apps for smart phones and tablets are changing the way we look after our health. This paper analyses the usage of such an app called myFitnessCompanion for chronic disease management. The analysis is based on data collected from 5000 ∈+∈ users over a period of 7 months. Highlights of the study show that blood glucose, weight and blood pressure are the main physiological data being monitored. Americans and Germans are the front-runners in adopting mobile health apps and are willing to pay for it. Most users choose to enter data manually instead of using automated wireless Bluetooth sensors. Users prefer to store the collected data on the phone rather than exporting it to Personal Health Record Systems. © 2012 Springer-Verlag