@Article{info:doi/10.2196/64212,
author="He, Xing
and Bian, Jiang
and Berlinski, Ariel
and Guo, Yi
and Simmons, A Larry
and Marshall, S Alexandra
and Greene, Carolyn J
and Brown, Rita Hudson
and Turner, Jessica
and Perry, Tamara T",
title="Mobile Health App for Adolescent Asthma Self-Management: Development and Usability Study of the Pulmonary Education and Knowledge Mobile Asthma Action Plan",
journal="JMIR Form Res",
year="2025",
month="Apr",
day="24",
volume="9",
pages="e64212",
keywords="asthma self-management; mobile health; user-centered design; usability; adolescents; mobile phone",
abstract="Background: Adolescents with asthma are vulnerable to poor asthma outcomes due to inadequate self-management skills and nonadherence to medications. Mobile health (mHealth) apps have shown promise in improving asthma control, medication adherence, and self-efficacy. However, existing mHealth asthma apps lack personalization and real-time feedback and are not tailored for at-risk adolescents. Objective: This study aimed to design, develop, and test a smartphone-based mHealth Asthma Action Plan for adolescents, called Pulmonary Education and Knowledge Mobile Asthma Action Plan (PEAK-mAAP), in preparation for a large-scale randomized controlled trial. Methods: We employed user-centered design principles to develop our app, leveraging our previous work and following guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The app consists of a patient-facing mobile app and a provider-facing portal. A convenience sample of 13 adolescents (aged 12‐20 years) was recruited from the Arkansas Children's Research Institute database or direct health care provider referrals. Participants underwent a task-based usability assessment followed by the System Usability Scale assessment to measure user satisfaction, interface effectiveness, and overall system usability. Results: PEAK-mAAP integrates 7 core modules supporting personalized asthma self-management, symptom monitoring, medication tracking, and real-time feedback. The mean System Usability Scale score was 83/100 (SD 5.54), indicating high user satisfaction and system usability. Notably, older adolescents (>17 years) reported higher usability scores (87.5) than younger users (77.5), suggesting potential age-related differences in app navigation and engagement. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that PEAK-mAAP is a feasible and user-friendly mHealth intervention for adolescent asthma self-management. While the high usability score reflects a positive user experience, some participants encountered initial usability challenges, highlighting the need for minor refinements and user training materials. The integration of personalized self-management tools and real-time feedback distinguishes PEAK-mAAP from existing asthma apps, addressing key barriers to adherence and engagement. Moving forward, an ongoing randomized controlled trial will assess its clinical effectiveness, long-term engagement, and impact on asthma outcomes, providing further insights into its potential as a scalable solution for adolescent asthma care. ",
issn="2561-326X",
doi="10.2196/64212",
url="https://formative.jmir.org/2025/1/e64212",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/64212"
}