The Arabic version of the mobile app rating scale: Development and validation study

Marco Bardus; Nathalie Awada; Lilian A. Ghandour; Elie Jacques Fares; Tarek Gherbal; Tasnim Al-Zanati; Stoyan R. Stoyanov

doi:10.2196/16956

The Arabic version of the mobile app rating scale: Development and validation study

Marco Bardus^*, Nathalie Awada, Lilian A. Ghandour, Elie Jacques Fares, Tarek Gherbal, Tasnim Al-Zanati, Stoyan R. Stoyanov

^*Corresponding author for this work

Applied Health Research

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: With thousands of health apps in app stores globally, it is crucial to systemically and thoroughly evaluate the quality of these apps due to their potential influence on health decisions and outcomes. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is the only currently available tool that provides a comprehensive, multidimensional evaluation of app quality, which has been used to compare medical apps from American and European app stores in various areas, available in English, Italian, Spanish, and German. However, this tool is not available in Arabic. Objective: This study aimed to translate and adapt MARS to Arabic and validate the tool with a sample of health apps aimed at managing or preventing obesity and associated disorders. Methods: We followed a well-established and defined “universalist” process of cross-cultural adaptation using a mixed methods approach. Early translations of the tool, accompanied by confirmation of the contents by two rounds of separate discussions, were included and culminated in a final version, which was then back-translated into English. Two trained researchers piloted the MARS in Arabic (MARS-Ar) with a sample of 10 weight management apps obtained from Google Play and the App Store. Interrater reliability was established using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). After reliability was ascertained, the two researchers independently evaluated a set of additional 56 apps. Results: MARS-Ar was highly aligned with the original English version. The ICCs for MARS-Ar (0.836, 95% CI 0.817-0.853) and MARS English (0.838, 95% CI 0.819-0.855) were good. The MARS-Ar subscales were highly correlated with the original counterparts (P<.001). The lowest correlation was observed in the area of usability (r=0.685), followed by aesthetics (r=0.827), information quality (r=0.854), engagement (r=0.894), and total app quality (r=0.897). Subjective quality was also highly correlated (r=0.820). Conclusions: MARS-Ar is a valid instrument to assess app quality among trained Arabic-speaking users of health and fitness apps. Researchers and public health professionals in the Arab world can use the overall MARS score and its subscales to reliably evaluate the quality of weight management apps. Further research is necessary to test the MARS-Ar on apps addressing various health issues, such as attention or anxiety prevention, or sexual and reproductive health.

Original language	English
Article number	e16956
Journal	JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Volume	8
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2196/16956
Publication status	Published - 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank all the experts who contributed to the translation and contextualization of the MARS, in particular: Ms Reem Hoteit, Ms Farah Demachkieh, Ms Cosette Fakih El Khoury, Ms Tatyana Yousef El-Kour, Mr Amjad Hiary, Mr Mohamed A Abdel-Baqy. The authors also wish to thank the translators of the instruments. This study was supported by the University Research Board of the American University of Beirut, through a grant awarded to the first author (ref: 103608). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the funding agency or their institution

Publisher Copyright:
© Marco Bardus, Nathalie Awada, Lilian A Ghandour, Elie-Jacques Fares, Tarek Gherbal, Tasnim Al-Zanati, Stoyan R Stoyanov.

Keywords

App evaluation
App quality
Arab world
EHealth
MHealth
Mobile app
Mobile app rating scale
Validation studies as topic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Health Informatics

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.2196/16956

10 Citations
1 Article

The Persian version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS-Fa): translation and validation study
Barzegari, S., Sharifi Kia, A., Bardus, M., Stoyanov, S. R., GhaziSaeedi, M. & Rafizadeh, M., 5 Dec 2022, In: JMIR Formative Research. 6, 12, 12 p., e42225.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
49 Downloads (Pure)

1 Guest lecture or Invited talk

Fitness Apps and Weight Management
Marco Bardus (Invited speaker)
24 Aug 2019
Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Guest lecture or Invited talk

University Research Board (URB) Grant
Bardus, Marco (Recipient), Ghandour, Lilian A. (Recipient), Fares, Elie Jacques (Recipient) & Gherbal, Tarek (Recipient), Mar 2018
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively

Cite this

@article{cce71028045d4ca187b03f85d63cbdd4,

title = "The Arabic version of the mobile app rating scale: Development and validation study",

abstract = "Background: With thousands of health apps in app stores globally, it is crucial to systemically and thoroughly evaluate the quality of these apps due to their potential influence on health decisions and outcomes. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is the only currently available tool that provides a comprehensive, multidimensional evaluation of app quality, which has been used to compare medical apps from American and European app stores in various areas, available in English, Italian, Spanish, and German. However, this tool is not available in Arabic. Objective: This study aimed to translate and adapt MARS to Arabic and validate the tool with a sample of health apps aimed at managing or preventing obesity and associated disorders. Methods: We followed a well-established and defined “universalist” process of cross-cultural adaptation using a mixed methods approach. Early translations of the tool, accompanied by confirmation of the contents by two rounds of separate discussions, were included and culminated in a final version, which was then back-translated into English. Two trained researchers piloted the MARS in Arabic (MARS-Ar) with a sample of 10 weight management apps obtained from Google Play and the App Store. Interrater reliability was established using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). After reliability was ascertained, the two researchers independently evaluated a set of additional 56 apps. Results: MARS-Ar was highly aligned with the original English version. The ICCs for MARS-Ar (0.836, 95% CI 0.817-0.853) and MARS English (0.838, 95% CI 0.819-0.855) were good. The MARS-Ar subscales were highly correlated with the original counterparts (P<.001). The lowest correlation was observed in the area of usability (r=0.685), followed by aesthetics (r=0.827), information quality (r=0.854), engagement (r=0.894), and total app quality (r=0.897). Subjective quality was also highly correlated (r=0.820). Conclusions: MARS-Ar is a valid instrument to assess app quality among trained Arabic-speaking users of health and fitness apps. Researchers and public health professionals in the Arab world can use the overall MARS score and its subscales to reliably evaluate the quality of weight management apps. Further research is necessary to test the MARS-Ar on apps addressing various health issues, such as attention or anxiety prevention, or sexual and reproductive health.",

keywords = "App evaluation, App quality, Arab world, EHealth, MHealth, Mobile app, Mobile app rating scale, Validation studies as topic",

author = "Marco Bardus and Nathalie Awada and Ghandour, {Lilian A.} and Fares, {Elie Jacques} and Tarek Gherbal and Tasnim Al-Zanati and Stoyanov, {Stoyan R.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors wish to thank all the experts who contributed to the translation and contextualization of the MARS, in particular: Ms Reem Hoteit, Ms Farah Demachkieh, Ms Cosette Fakih El Khoury, Ms Tatyana Yousef El-Kour, Mr Amjad Hiary, Mr Mohamed A Abdel-Baqy. The authors also wish to thank the translators of the instruments. This study was supported by the University Research Board of the American University of Beirut, through a grant awarded to the first author (ref: 103608). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the funding agency or their institution Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Marco Bardus, Nathalie Awada, Lilian A Ghandour, Elie-Jacques Fares, Tarek Gherbal, Tasnim Al-Zanati, Stoyan R Stoyanov.",

year = "2020",

doi = "10.2196/16956",

language = "English",

volume = "8",

journal = "JMIR mHealth and uHealth",

issn = "2291-5222",

publisher = "JMIR Publications",

number = "3",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The Arabic version of the mobile app rating scale

T2 - Development and validation study

AU - Bardus, Marco

AU - Awada, Nathalie

AU - Ghandour, Lilian A.

AU - Fares, Elie Jacques

AU - Gherbal, Tarek

AU - Al-Zanati, Tasnim

AU - Stoyanov, Stoyan R.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors wish to thank all the experts who contributed to the translation and contextualization of the MARS, in particular: Ms Reem Hoteit, Ms Farah Demachkieh, Ms Cosette Fakih El Khoury, Ms Tatyana Yousef El-Kour, Mr Amjad Hiary, Mr Mohamed A Abdel-Baqy. The authors also wish to thank the translators of the instruments. This study was supported by the University Research Board of the American University of Beirut, through a grant awarded to the first author (ref: 103608). The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the funding agency or their institution Publisher Copyright: © Marco Bardus, Nathalie Awada, Lilian A Ghandour, Elie-Jacques Fares, Tarek Gherbal, Tasnim Al-Zanati, Stoyan R Stoyanov.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Background: With thousands of health apps in app stores globally, it is crucial to systemically and thoroughly evaluate the quality of these apps due to their potential influence on health decisions and outcomes. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is the only currently available tool that provides a comprehensive, multidimensional evaluation of app quality, which has been used to compare medical apps from American and European app stores in various areas, available in English, Italian, Spanish, and German. However, this tool is not available in Arabic. Objective: This study aimed to translate and adapt MARS to Arabic and validate the tool with a sample of health apps aimed at managing or preventing obesity and associated disorders. Methods: We followed a well-established and defined “universalist” process of cross-cultural adaptation using a mixed methods approach. Early translations of the tool, accompanied by confirmation of the contents by two rounds of separate discussions, were included and culminated in a final version, which was then back-translated into English. Two trained researchers piloted the MARS in Arabic (MARS-Ar) with a sample of 10 weight management apps obtained from Google Play and the App Store. Interrater reliability was established using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). After reliability was ascertained, the two researchers independently evaluated a set of additional 56 apps. Results: MARS-Ar was highly aligned with the original English version. The ICCs for MARS-Ar (0.836, 95% CI 0.817-0.853) and MARS English (0.838, 95% CI 0.819-0.855) were good. The MARS-Ar subscales were highly correlated with the original counterparts (P<.001). The lowest correlation was observed in the area of usability (r=0.685), followed by aesthetics (r=0.827), information quality (r=0.854), engagement (r=0.894), and total app quality (r=0.897). Subjective quality was also highly correlated (r=0.820). Conclusions: MARS-Ar is a valid instrument to assess app quality among trained Arabic-speaking users of health and fitness apps. Researchers and public health professionals in the Arab world can use the overall MARS score and its subscales to reliably evaluate the quality of weight management apps. Further research is necessary to test the MARS-Ar on apps addressing various health issues, such as attention or anxiety prevention, or sexual and reproductive health.

AB - Background: With thousands of health apps in app stores globally, it is crucial to systemically and thoroughly evaluate the quality of these apps due to their potential influence on health decisions and outcomes. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is the only currently available tool that provides a comprehensive, multidimensional evaluation of app quality, which has been used to compare medical apps from American and European app stores in various areas, available in English, Italian, Spanish, and German. However, this tool is not available in Arabic. Objective: This study aimed to translate and adapt MARS to Arabic and validate the tool with a sample of health apps aimed at managing or preventing obesity and associated disorders. Methods: We followed a well-established and defined “universalist” process of cross-cultural adaptation using a mixed methods approach. Early translations of the tool, accompanied by confirmation of the contents by two rounds of separate discussions, were included and culminated in a final version, which was then back-translated into English. Two trained researchers piloted the MARS in Arabic (MARS-Ar) with a sample of 10 weight management apps obtained from Google Play and the App Store. Interrater reliability was established using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). After reliability was ascertained, the two researchers independently evaluated a set of additional 56 apps. Results: MARS-Ar was highly aligned with the original English version. The ICCs for MARS-Ar (0.836, 95% CI 0.817-0.853) and MARS English (0.838, 95% CI 0.819-0.855) were good. The MARS-Ar subscales were highly correlated with the original counterparts (P<.001). The lowest correlation was observed in the area of usability (r=0.685), followed by aesthetics (r=0.827), information quality (r=0.854), engagement (r=0.894), and total app quality (r=0.897). Subjective quality was also highly correlated (r=0.820). Conclusions: MARS-Ar is a valid instrument to assess app quality among trained Arabic-speaking users of health and fitness apps. Researchers and public health professionals in the Arab world can use the overall MARS score and its subscales to reliably evaluate the quality of weight management apps. Further research is necessary to test the MARS-Ar on apps addressing various health issues, such as attention or anxiety prevention, or sexual and reproductive health.

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KW - App quality

KW - Arab world

KW - EHealth

KW - MHealth

KW - Mobile app

KW - Mobile app rating scale

KW - Validation studies as topic

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ER -

The Arabic version of the mobile app rating scale: Development and validation study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Research output

The Persian version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS-Fa): translation and validation study

Activities

Fitness Apps and Weight Management

Prizes

University Research Board (URB) Grant

Cite this