When and Why Adults Abandon Lifestyle Behavior and Mental Health Mobile Apps: Scoping Review

Background: With 1 in 3 adults globally living with chronic conditions and the rise in smartphone ownership, mobile health apps have become a prominent tool for managing lifestyle-related health behaviors and mental health. However, high rates of app abandonment pose challenges to their effectiveness.

Objective: We explored the abandonment of apps used for managing physical activity, diet, alcohol, smoking, and mental health in free-living conditions, examining the duration of app use before abandonment and the underlying reasons.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted based on the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines and eligibility criteria were designed according to the SPIDER (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type) framework. In total, 4 databases were searched (MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and PsycINFO) to identify quantitative and qualitative studies with outcome measures related to app abandonment in adults with free-living conditions, including reasons for abandonment and duration of use, for mobile apps related to WHO (World Health Organization) modifiable health behaviors and mental health. The included studies' risk of bias was appraised based on the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) and COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklists. To enable data synthesis across different methodologies, app domains, demographic data, and outcome measures were categorized. Results are presented in 2 sections: quantitatively in a scatterplot to understand when users abandon apps and qualitatively through basic qualitative content analysis to identify the underlying reasons.

Results: Eighteen eligible studies (525,824 participants) published between 2014 and 2022, predominantly from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany, were identified. Findings revealed a curvilinear pattern of app abandonment, with sharper abandonment soon after acquisition, followed by a slowing rate of abandonment over time. Taken together, a median of 70% of users discontinued use within the first 100 days. The abandonment rate appeared to vary by app domain, with apps focusing on alcohol and smoking exhibiting faster abandonment, and physical activity and mental health exhibiting longer usage durations. In total, 22 unique reasons for abandonment were organized into six categories: (1) technical and functional issues, (2) privacy concerns, (3) poor user experience, (4) content and features, (5) time and financial costs, and (6) evolving user needs and goals.

Conclusions: This study highlights the complex nature of health app abandonment and the need for an improved understanding of user engagement over time, underscoring the importance of addressing various factors contributing to abandonment, from technical issues to evolving user needs. Our findings also emphasize the need for longitudinal studies and a consistent definition of app abandonment to better understand and mitigate this phenomenon, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of health apps in supporting public health initiatives.