Use of a preventive app by the Peruvian population: first data collected

• Autores: Sánchez Gavidia, Joseph Jesús, Rúa Fernández, Oliver Raziel
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2023
• Institución: Universidad de San Martín de Porres
• Repositorio: Horizonte médico
• Lenguaje: español; inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:horizontemedico.usmp.edu.pe:article/2361
• Enlace del recurso: https://www.horizontemedico.usmp.edu.pe/index.php/horizontemed/article/view/2361
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: aplicativos móveis; prevenção de doença; Promoção de saúde; TIC na saúde; mobile applications; disease prevention; health promotion; information technology; aplicaciones móviles; prevención de enfermedades; promoción de la salud; TIC en salud

Objective: To describe the characteristics of the use of a preventive app by the Peruvian population during its first year of operations between 2019 and 2020. Materials and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study, in which the database of the Salud Total preventive app, concerning the demographic characteristics of and usage by the Peruvian population, was reviewed during its first year of operations. Sociodemographic variables (sex and age) and usage (health data, pathological findings, frequency of use, and type and number of services requested) were analyzed. The analysis and processing of descriptive data were performed using Microsoft Excel. Results: The number of users who downloaded and registered in the app was 9,737 people. A similar sex ratio was found, and the 21- to 50-year-old group prevailed. A total of 2,254 health data voluntarily entered by the users, out of which the most reported were weight and height (45.3 %), blood pressure (20.4 %), hemoglobin (17.1 %) and waist circumference, were collected. Pathological findings such as high blood pressure (25.7 %) and overweight (58.5 %), among others, were found in the recorded data. Likewise, 1,072 different health services were requested through the app, among which medical care (58 %) and laboratory tests (32 %) stood out. Conclusions: Users were able to register in and interact with a preventive app in order to monitor their well-being. Moreover, they used it both to add their health data and to request remote medical care. This could be a new intervention tool for taking preventive actions, managing timely care of diseases and offering a new data source for health research.