Evaluation of Commercially Available Infant-feeding Mobile Applications Using App Quality Evaluation Tool.
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OBJECTIVE: Assess the quality of free, commercially available infant-feeding mobile applications (apps) and their appropriateness for audiences with low income and of racial and ethnic diversity using the App Quality Evaluation tool. METHODS: Researchers selected apps using an iterative process (n=6). Health professionals (n=10) who work with mothers with infants and low income who completed the App Quality Evaluation tool for each app, consisting of 7 domains of app quality. Average domain scores were calculated for each app (> 8 indicates high quality). RESULTS: Evaluators highly rated app function and purpose for WebMD Baby (8.0 1.8 and 8.2 0.9, respectively) and Baby Center (8.0 2.1 and 8.0 2.6, respectively). For other apps, no domains were highly rated. No apps were rated highly for appropriateness (range 5.7-7.7) nor provided high-quality infant-feeding information for mothers with low income. Few apps were rated highly appropriate for mothers who are Black or Hispanic. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Commercially available infant-feeding apps are of limited quality, indicating the need to develop high-quality apps for audiences with low income and Black and Hispanic identities.