Goyal, Garima2021-02-172021-02-172020Goyal, Garima (2020). Usage and quality assessment of health apps and its related implications among college students (Unpublished M.Sc. thesis). Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810161276With the objective of assessing the impact of health app usage on nutrition and physical status of college students, data was collected from 400 university students. Observations were taken on numerous aspects such as type and extent of health app usage, physical activity status, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, demographic profile etc. Also, a content analysis of top ten apps used by the students was done by using 124 points scoring scale. Based on cluster analysis the respondents were divided into three clusters: moderate intensity-long term users, high intensityrecent users and low intensity users. Moderate intensity- long term app users fared better on basis of healthy food intake, nutrient intake, physical activity levels and physical performance and significantly better BMI, as compared to other two clusters. Results indicate that consistent use of health apps definitely lead to improved health outcomes. Findings of factor analysis revealed that these apps were used primarily for monitoring food intake, improving physical activity and maintaining health records. Qualitative assessment of selected health apps revealed that these apps performed well in terms of security, functionality, interactivity and aesthetics. On the other hand, there is a scope of improvement in the dimensions of accountability, behaviour change techniques and scientific coverage. HealthifyMe, My Fitness Pal and Samsung Health were having higher qualitative score as compared to other apps. For achieving significant benefits in terms of improved health, nutrition and physical activity, long term consistent and regular use of health apps is recommended. App developers and public health practioners should work collaboratively to integrate evidence-based practices and expert recommendations in apps so that technologies marketed as health promoting tools can lead to substantial behaviour changes.EnglishThesis