Mobile Health Apps Supporting Cognitive Intervention Or Prevention Of Dementia In East And Southeast Asia: A Systematic Examination And Content Analysis

Purpose
Dementia is a global health problem, particularly among Asian countries. This neurocognitive disorder may lead to high dependency. Under this context, effective means to support people with dementia in managing the disease is vital. With advancements in mobile technology and the extensive reach of internet access, mobile health applications (mHealth apps) offer a cost-effective and feasible method of dementia management. Our study aimed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of mHealth apps supporting cognitive interventions or preventions of people with dementia in East and Southeast Asia.

Methods
Keywords including “dementia”, “Alzheimer”, “cognitive impairment”, and “mild cognitive impairment” were used for mHealth apps search. Inclusion criteria for mHealth app involved: 1) downloadable either in Google Play Store or App Store; 2) published in East or Southeast Asian countries where older population percentage reached 14% or above; 3) developed with the cognitive training for either Alzheimer’s (AD), dementia, or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI); 4) can be downloaded and used for free, or have a free simplified version; 5) support English and at least one Asian language; 6) last updated within 5 years. App quality was evaluated by Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS).

Results
Ten apps were included for evaluation. Apart from using MARS, important features of the apps, including their target users, content, strengths and weaknesses, were summarized and compared.

Conclusions
This study provides insights to clinicians, researchers, or app developers into the features of these applications and useful information for healthcare professionals, people with dementia, and their care partners in the management process.