Co-Designed Web Platform to Identify Physical Activity Apps for Spanish Adolescents: TeenFit Stu

28 Apr 20264 min read0 viewsJournal Feed

GIST

Introduction Adolescence is a critical period marked by physiological and psychological changes that influence long-term health. Establishing healthy behaviours, particularly regular physical activity, is essential during this stage; however, around 80% of young people do not meet the WHO's physical activity recommendations.

Digital technologies offer promising opportunities to promote health among youth, yet most physical activity mobile applications (apps) lack scientific validation and usability. Unlike psychology, which has validated repositories to guide users in selecting mental health apps, physical activity lacks validated repository platforms, especially for adolescents.

The project has a twofold aim: (1) to co-design a website, named the TeenFit website, that facilitates the selection of physical activity apps tailored to each adolescent's individual needs and preferences and (2) to investigate the barriers and facilitators for the implementation of the TeenFit website in real-world settings. Methods and analysis Adolescents and other stakeholders (ie, caregivers, educators, and health professionals) will be engaged in the development of the TeenFit website app finder through a participatory design approach that involves three workshops, encompassing both a development phase and an implementation phase.

Clinical Editorial

Purpose and scope

The project aims to create a co-designed web platform, TeenFit, to assist adolescents in selecting physical activity apps tailored to individual needs and preferences.
A secondary objective is to examine factors that influence the real-world implementation of the TeenFit website.

Study design and methodology

A participatory design process will drive the development, combining a development phase with an implementation phase.
The process involves three workshops and engages multiple stakeholder groups, including adolescents, caregivers, educators, and health professionals.
Each workshop will organize participants into smaller working groups, with an estimated 10–12 participants per group, to contribute to the co-design effort.
TeenFit will curate physical activity apps available in the Spanish market, supporting content in both English and Spanish.
App identification is anchored in two ongoing systematic reviews to select candidate tools.

Data collection and analysis

Mixed-methods data will underpin the study, integrating qualitative inputs from audio- and video-recorded workshops.
Quantitative data will describe co-design experiences and assess the acceptability of the TeenFit platform.
Analytical approaches include descriptive statistics for quantitative elements.
Qualitative analysis will use content analysis to articulate participants’ perspectives on desirable design aspects—specifically content, features, and layout.
An additional reflexive thematic analysis will explore barriers and facilitators related to implementation.

Ethics, governance, and dissemination

Ethics approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee in Málaga, Spain (REC ref: SICEIA-2024-003172).
Findings are planned for dissemination through national and international conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Involvement of patients and the public will inform dissemination strategies beyond scholarly outlets.

Context and rationale

The initiative addresses a gap where validated repositories exist for selecting mental health applications, but comparable resources for adolescent physical activity apps are lacking.
The backdrop acknowledges that many youths do not meet World Health Organization physical activity guidelines, highlighting the potential relevance of well-structured digital tools to support activity promotion in this age group.

Limitations and uncertainties

The protocol summary does not provide finalized outcome data, specific app selections, or results regarding which design features most influence app selection or implementation success.
It notes qualitative and quantitative evaluation plans but does not report preliminary findings or measured effectiveness.

Operational implications and open questions

The study envisions a dual focus on (1) practical co-design of an app finder tailored to adolescents and (2) identifying real-world implementation barriers and enablers.