The role of walking-tracking apps and chronic medical conditions for adult students’ quality of life: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia

Q1 Medicine Informatics in Medicine Unlocked Pub Date : 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.imu.2024.101610

Manal Almalki

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered health behaviors, particularly among adult students in Saudi Arabia. The increased use of walking-tracking apps and the challenges faced by individuals with chronic medical conditions have influenced overall quality of life (QOL).

Objective

To assess the influence of having a medical condition and the use of walking-tracking apps on QOL among adult students in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

An online questionnaire was utilized in June 2024 to measure QOL using the WHOQOL-BREF scale, which covers physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships, and environmental health. Participants were grouped based on their use of walking-tracking apps and the presence of a chronic medical condition. Statistical analysis included independent t-tests, Pearson correlations, and chi-square tests to determine significant associations (p < 0.05).

Results

The sample consisted of 412 participants. The chi-square test revealed a significant association between having a medical condition and using a walking-tracking app (p = 0.037), with individuals without medical conditions being more likely to use these apps. However, despite the high prevalence of app usage (65.3 %), no significant improvements in QOL were observed for app users across any of the QOL domains. Participants with medical conditions reported significantly higher QOL scores in all domains, particularly in psychological health (p < 0.001) and social relationships (p = 0.001). Positive correlations were observed for factors like meaningful life, concentration, and access to healthcare among those with medical conditions.

Conclusion

Students with chronic medical conditions reported higher QOL whereas the use of walking-tracking apps had limited direct impact on their QOL. Future studies should explore factors that play a critical role in enhancing QOL beyond physical health and technology usage, including social support and the Saudi healthcare system.

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来源期刊

Informatics in Medicine Unlocked Medicine-Health Informatics

CiteScore

9.50

自引率

0.00%

发文量

282

审稿时长

39 days

期刊介绍： Informatics in Medicine Unlocked (IMU) is an international gold open access journal covering a broad spectrum of topics within medical informatics, including (but not limited to) papers focusing on imaging, pathology, teledermatology, public health, ophthalmological, nursing and translational medicine informatics. The full papers that are published in the journal are accessible to all who visit the website.