A review of pregnancy apps freely available in the Google Play Store

Issue addressed Smartphone apps have emerged as a mode for provision of information to women during pregnancy. More apps are available for pregnancy than for any other medical topic. This review aimed to assess the quality of Android pregnancy apps, including pregnancy-specific nutrition information. Methods A keyword search was conducted in the Google Play Store followed by the screening of app title, app store description and the downloaded app. To be included, apps needed to be free, in English, aimed at pregnant women and contain nutrition information. App quality was assessed using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) and the presence of nutrition topics was reported. Results A total of 76 apps were included in the analysis. Mean overallMARSquality score was 3.52 (max 5;SD: 0.58) (1 = inadequate and 5 = excellent). Thefunctionalitysubscale scored the highest (mean 4.06) andinformationscored the lowest (mean 3.23). The median number of pregnancy-specific nutrition topics per app was four (range: 0-6), with the most common related to caffeine consumption (n = 55, 72% of apps) and fish intake (n = 53, 69%), although the quality and quantity of nutrition information varied greatly between apps. Conclusions Although there are a large number of pregnancy apps available, few are of high quality and most contain only a small number of pregnancy-focused nutrition topics. It is important to be aware of the limitations of current apps in providing dietary advice during this key life stage. So what? The current review does not support the use of freely available android apps currently on the market as an appropriate nutrition resource for pregnant women.