Megan Lim*, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia Emma Weaver, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia Danielle Horyniak, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia Rebecca Jenkinson, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia Paul Dietze, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia Track: Research Presentation Topic: Mobile & Tablet Health Applications Presentation Type: Oral presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Building: Mermaid Room: Room 2 - Aldgate/Bishopsgate Date: 2013-09-24 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Last modified: 2013-09-25

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Background: While recent evidence suggests smartphone apps offer a number of possibilities for health promotion activities, young people may also be exposed to apps with incorrect or poor quality information, as, like the internet, apps are mostly unregulated. Little is known about the quality of alcohol-related apps or what influence they may have on young people’s behaviour.
Objectives: The purpose of the current study is to critically review the most popular alcohol-related smartphone applications and to explore young people’s opinions of these apps, and their acceptability and use for alcohol-related health promotion.
Methods: A two-phased mixed methods approach was used. The first phase involved a critical content analysis of 500 smartphone apps available via Apple iTunes© and Android Google Play© stores. Subsequently all available blood alcohol concentration (BAC) apps were tested using four profiles from a previous study. The second phase involved two focus group discussions to explore how young people engage and use alcohol-related apps, and specifically BAC apps.
Results: 384 apps were included; 50% (192) were entertainment apps, 39% (148) were BAC apps and 11% (44) were health promotion and/or stop drinking related apps. When testing the BAC apps there was a very wide variation in results (e.g., for Profile One, BAC estimates ranged between 0.001 and 0.91). Participants were sceptical of the accuracy of BAC apps, and there was an overall concern that these apps would be used as a form of entertainment, further encouraging young people to drink on a night out, rather than reduce their drinking and risk taking.
Conclusions: Peak health bodies need to endorse alcohol smartphone apps that take on an evidence-based harm reduction philosophy, to give specific apps credibility in the ever expanding market of unregulated apps. Apps developed by health professionals need to be innovative, useful, desirable, and fun, in order to compete with apps encouraging unhealthy behaviours.