The role of mobile health applications in preventing sleep-related health problems – a pilot study in the Makkah city of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Healthcare is experiencing a transition from curative to preventive methods. The wide usage of mobile phones had opened the space for its infiltration across all sexes and ages in the population. This exploratory research was undertaken for Makkah region in Saudi Arabia to empower the patients with a program of physical exercise and proper sleep timings guided by mobile applications to improve sleep related health problems. The target population were people who worked in offices, shopping malls, shops, colleges, universities, business houses and hospitals and experienced sleep related sleep problems. Purposive sampling technique was used. Throughout qualitative research, it is usually used to classify and pick the information-rich cases for the finest use of available resources. Two of the significant findings in this study (statistical significance at P < 0.05) were that the sample respondents found their physical activity along with their health condition had improved after using the health applications in mobiles. Health application in mobiles were used by 51.1% respondents and they found that their physical activity had improved. The wide-ranging health applications in mobiles is definitely a breakthrough in the field of clinical practice as it can support self-monitoring and management of various sleep related health problems.

KEYWORDS:

• Mobile health applications
• sleep problems
• health
• physical activity
• self-monitoring

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tabrez Uz Zaman

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Faisal Alqahtani

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Ahmad Alsairafi

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Hamed Ademola Adetunji

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Mahmoud Al Areefi

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Nasser Al Akhram

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Taher Mohammed Abdurraheem

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.

Mohammed Kamal Hussain

All the authors are working in the Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics and have contributed to the data collection, analysis, and draft correction. Tabrez Uz Zaman is the supervisor and the corresponding author. Professor Hamed Ademola Adetunji is an epidemiologist. Faisal Alqahtani and Ahmad Alsairafi are interns.