Making a Persian Tool to Help Users Rate the Quality of Health Apps Easily and Reliably

What is it about?

Mobile health apps are becoming increasingly popular, but not all of them are reliable, effective, or user-friendly. To help everyday users evaluate the quality of health apps, researchers developed a tool called the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS). It allows non-experts to assess apps based on features like ease of use, usefulness, and design. However, this tool was originally created in English, which limits its use in countries where English isn’t the main language. This study aimed to translate and adapt uMARS into Persian (Farsi), the language spoken in Iran and several neighboring regions, so that Persian-speaking users could also benefit from it. The researchers carefully translated the questionnaire using professional translation methods and then tested it with 100 Persian-speaking students who used a popular health app. They checked whether the Persian version of uMARS was easy to understand, consistent in its questions, and reliable in measuring users' opinions about the app. The results showed that the Persian version of uMARS worked well and produced reliable results. People found it easy to use, and it accurately measured different aspects of the app's quality. This means Persian-speaking users can now use this tool to evaluate health apps more confidently and make informed choices. In summary, this study made it possible for Persian speakers to access a trusted way to judge the quality of mobile health apps, helping them use technology to manage their health more effectively.

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Why is it important?

Mobile health apps can help people improve their health, but not all apps are safe or effective. To make better choices, users need a simple way to judge the quality of these apps. The uMARS tool helps with this, but it was only available in English. By translating and validating it in Persian, this study makes it possible for millions of Persian-speaking users to evaluate health apps in their own language. This improves access to safe and useful digital health tools and empowers users to make informed decisions about their health using mobile technology.