OBJECTIVES : The use of mobile health apps (mHealth app) has the potential to improve self-care and treatment of health conditions. This study compared mHealth app use in 2014 and 2018 among US adults aged over 18 with a smartphone/tablet.

METHODS : Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, we identified eligible adult respondents with a smartphone/tablet in 2014 and 2018. We applied Chi-squared tests to assess changes in mHealth app utilization rates in the US adult population and across socio-demographic subgroups (e.g., by age, gender, region, socioeconomic status (SES)) and health conditions. We performed logistic regressions to evaluate the associations between demographic characteristics, health-related factors, and mHealth app use in each year. All analyses were adjusted for sampling weights.

RESULTS : Use of mHealth app among adult respondents increased over time, from 36.1% in 2014 to 52.5% in 2018 (p<0.0001). MHealth app use increased across most subgroups except younger respondents (18-24 year age group), those diagnosed with cancer, and those in “fair” or “poor” health, whose use of mHealth app did not change over the study period. In the adjusted analyses, respondents with younger age and higher SES were more likely to use mHealth apps in both years. In addition, respondents with poor health were less likely than those with excellent health to use mHealth apps in 2018 (AOR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.09-0.69).

CONCLUSIONS : Our findings indicate an increasing trend of mHealth apps uses from 2014 to 2018 across most adult populations. However, disparity in the use for adults with low SES and poor health remained substantial. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of the mHealth apps and address the disparity in the use to better benefit those with need for health care.