Scholarlink

Background <p>The proliferation of mobile health (mHealth) applications has markedly influenced self-management practices related to obesity and mental well-being. However, the effectiveness of fitness apps in enhancing health outcomes is closely tied to their frequency of usage, a factor that has been insufficiently explored, especially among postpartum populations.</p> Objective <p>This study aimed to propose and empirically test a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework to examine the moderating effects of fitness app usage frequency on the relationships among obesity, lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, and mental health outcomes among postpartum women.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional self-reported online survey was administered to postpartum women in Malaysia within one year after childbirth, collecting 468 valid responses. Participants were categorized into four distinct groups based on their frequency of fitness app usage: daily, weekly, rarely, and never.</p> Results <p>The SEM analyses highlighted significant variations among the four user groups. The daily-user model exhibited the strongest explanatory power (R² = 0.82), followed by weekly (R² = 0.79), rarely (R² = 0.66), and never-user groups (R² = 0.59). Specifically, in the daily-user group, demographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, dietary intake, and Body Mass Index (BMI) explained 82% of the variance in mental health outcomes. Across all usage categories, BMI consistently demonstrated a significant negative relationship with mental health symptoms, suggesting better mental health among participants with lower BMI. Further, factor loading analyses identified screen time (0.89) and physical activity (0.81) as dominant indicators of lifestyle behaviors. Frequent app users (daily and weekly) displayed healthier dietary choices and lower BMI scores compared to infrequent users.</p> Conclusions <p>Regular engagement with fitness mHealth applications is associated with better mental health and may support obesity management among postpartum women. This study underscores the critical moderating role of app usage frequency in optimizing health outcomes, providing practical implications for public health strategies and interventions targeting postpartum populations.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Empowering postpartum women: the role of mHealth apps in promoting mental health and obesity prevention

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月16日

查看全文
  • Huang Xiaocui,
  • Ye Shengyao,
  • Nadia Samsudin,
  • Li Kuan,
  • Lin Xuefen

摘要

Background

The proliferation of mobile health (mHealth) applications has markedly influenced self-management practices related to obesity and mental well-being. However, the effectiveness of fitness apps in enhancing health outcomes is closely tied to their frequency of usage, a factor that has been insufficiently explored, especially among postpartum populations.

Objective

This study aimed to propose and empirically test a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework to examine the moderating effects of fitness app usage frequency on the relationships among obesity, lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, and mental health outcomes among postpartum women.

Methods

A cross-sectional self-reported online survey was administered to postpartum women in Malaysia within one year after childbirth, collecting 468 valid responses. Participants were categorized into four distinct groups based on their frequency of fitness app usage: daily, weekly, rarely, and never.

Results

The SEM analyses highlighted significant variations among the four user groups. The daily-user model exhibited the strongest explanatory power (R² = 0.82), followed by weekly (R² = 0.79), rarely (R² = 0.66), and never-user groups (R² = 0.59). Specifically, in the daily-user group, demographic factors, lifestyle behaviors, dietary intake, and Body Mass Index (BMI) explained 82% of the variance in mental health outcomes. Across all usage categories, BMI consistently demonstrated a significant negative relationship with mental health symptoms, suggesting better mental health among participants with lower BMI. Further, factor loading analyses identified screen time (0.89) and physical activity (0.81) as dominant indicators of lifestyle behaviors. Frequent app users (daily and weekly) displayed healthier dietary choices and lower BMI scores compared to infrequent users.

Conclusions

Regular engagement with fitness mHealth applications is associated with better mental health and may support obesity management among postpartum women. This study underscores the critical moderating role of app usage frequency in optimizing health outcomes, providing practical implications for public health strategies and interventions targeting postpartum populations.