User perspectives of diet-tracking apps : reviews content analysis and topic modeling

Zečević, Mila (author), Mijatović, Dejan (author), Kos Koklič, Mateja (author), Žabkar, Vesna (author), Gidaković, Petar (author)

Background: The availability and use of mobile apps in health and nutrition management are increasing. Ease of access and user friendliness make diet-tracking apps an important ally in their users’ efforts to lose and manage weight. To foster motivation for long-term use and to achieve goals, it is necessary to better understand users’ opinions and needs for dietary self-monitoring. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the key topics and issues that users highlight in their reviews of diet-tracking apps on Google Play Store. Identifying the topics that users frequently mention in their reviews of these apps, along with the user ratings for each of these apps, allowed us to identify areas where further improvement of the apps could facilitate app use, and support users’ weight loss and intake management efforts. Methods: We collected 72,084 user reviews from Google Play Store for 15 diet-tracking apps that allow users to track and count calories. After a series of text processing operations, two text-mining techniques (topic modeling and topical n-grams) were applied to the corpus of user reviews of diet-tracking apps. Results: Using the topic modeling technique, 11 separate topics were extracted from the pool of user reviews. Most of the users providing feedback were generally satisfied with the apps they use (average rating of 4.4 out of 5 for the 15 apps). Most topics referred to the positive evaluation of the apps and their functions. Negatively rated topics mostly referred to app charges and technical difficulties encountered. We identified the positive and negative topic trigrams (3-word combinations) among the most frequently mentioned topics. Usability and functionality (tracking options) of apps were rated positively on average. Negative ratings were associated with trigrams related to adding new foods, technical issues, and app charges. Conclusions: Motivating users to use an app over time could help them better achieve their nutrition goals. Although user reviews generally showed positive opinions and ratings of the apps, developers should pay more attention to users’ technical problems and inform users about expected payments, along with their refund and cancellation policies, to increase user loyalty.

• Language: English
• Keywords: diet-tracking apps, mobile apps, user reviews, topic modeling, n-grams, mHealth, nutrition, diet, well-being
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 1-16
• Numbering: Vol. 23, iss. 4 (art. 25160)
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-126643
• UDC: 339.138
• ISSN on article: 1439-4456
• DOI: 10.2196/25160
• COBISS.SI-ID: 60884227
• Publication date in RUL: 29.04.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of medical internet research
• Shortened title: J. med. internet res.
• Publisher: JMIR Publications
• ISSN: 1438-8871
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8777044

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 22.04.2021

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P5-0128
• Name: Izzivi vključujočega in trajnostnega razvoja v prevladujoči paradigmi ekonomskih in poslovnih znanosti

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: N5-0084
• Name: Spremljanje preferenc potrošnikov skozi potrošniške stereotipe