Designing a mobile app to promote healthy behaviors and prevent obesity: analysis of adolescents' preferences.

To ensure that adolescents adhere to programmes promoting healthy behaviors, these programmes must be appealing and interesting. This study aims to characterize and assess the devices, operating system and type of mobile apps frequently used by adolescents; understand the features that mHealth apps should have to be appealing; comprehend the facilitators and barriers for adolescents to use mHealth apps. The sample comprised 165 adolescents (12-18 years) from the main population, recruited in 2018. Most participants used smartphones and the Android system. Food and physical activity suggestions were considered the most important features for an mHealth app. 62.6% had never tried an mHealth app. For those who had tried one, 26.0% stated it was to improve health status/lifestyle. Their favorite feature was physical exercise tips/plans (41.8%). Adolescents pointed out that the reasons that made them keep using the app were utility and interest (35.7%). Regarding possible barriers, 48.4% reported a lack of a senseof need/practical utility, and 18.8% considered notifications as their least favorite feature. Lack of interest was pointed out for 38.2% as the main reason for stopping use. Results provide practical information for the planning, design, and implementation of future mHealth apps for the promotion of healthy behaviors - an important implication for future research in this area.

An Interregional, Transdisciplinary and Good Practice-Based Approach for Frailty: the Mind&Gait Project.

Social facilities such residential structures and day-centres increasingly seek integrated, structured, adapted, creative, dynamic and economic strategies to prevent frailty. The arising need of an aged and frail population requires innovative interventions and products to prevent cognitive and physical decline. The interregional MIND&GAIT project aims to promote independent living in frail older adults by improving cognition and gait ability by using assistive products. This transdisciplinary strategy within a 24-months period expects as project' deliverables: i) a structured and good practice-based combined intervention (CI) consisting of a cognitive stimulation programme and a physical exercise programme; ii) an auto-blocking mechanism for rolling walkers with biofeedback acquisition (ABMRW); iii) a randomized clinical trial to assess CI' effectiveness; and iv) a web-platform to be used as a repository that will support and disseminate the intervention materials, covering the action-line of translational research. Positive benefits are expected in prevention and maintenance of frail older adults' capacities. Preliminary results showed positive effects on the improvement of cognitive and physical functions, functionality and depressive symptomatology. The interregional geographical coverage induced by MIND&GAIT underlines the potential replicability of the project extension to the community in the Centro and Alentejo regions of Portugal. MIND&GAIT network supports actions and provides learning opportunities and emergence of locally-embedded support systems towards social innovation for older adults.