Mobile health apps for Brazilian older adults: a scoping review of availability and quality

Older adults are expected to account for 16.7% of the world population by 2050. Mobile health applications (apps) have emerged as important tools for the self-management of care and health promotion in this population group. This scoping review mapped, classified, and assessed the mobile health apps designed for older adults that are available in Brazil. The review followed the methodological recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis and was reported according to the PRISMA scoping review guidelines. The guiding research question was: What mobile health technologies targeting older adults are available in Brazil, and what is their quality according to standardized evaluation criteria? The study was structured using the population-concept-context framework (population: older adults; concept: mobile health apps for disease prevention, self-management, and health promotion; context: the Brazilian iOS App Store [Apple] and Google Play [Android]). Two independent reviewers systematically searched for eligible mobile health apps in July 2021. App quality was assessed using the Mobile App Rating Scale. Of the 4,122 screened apps, 28 met the inclusion criteria. The mean (SD) Mobile App Rating Scale quality scores were 3.3 (0.7) for Android and 3.2 (0.7) for Apple. Although most apps showed adequate functionality and design, they performed poorly in credibility and evidence-based content. This scoping review highlights the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, clinicians, developers, and older users to enhance the quality and reliability of mobile health tools tailored to this population.