Turkish validation of the user version of the mobile application rating scale

Abstract

Objective: As the number of mobile health applications increases, quality assessment becomes a capital feature of any mobile application design. Besides the professional evaluation conducted before marketing the app, the perceptions of the subjects to whom is intended will determine the successful widespread dissemination. Hence, the implementation of a given app may be impaired by the lack of a validated translation and cross-cultural adaptation. We aimed to validate in the Turkish language the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale, an English original scale designed to assess the quality of mobile health applications. Materials and methods: A well-established and predefined process of cross-cultural adaptation and translation to Turkish of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale according to the World Health Organization guidelines was performed using a common, readily available, free-of-charge application. Internal consistency and reliability were tested in a population sample by Cronbach’s α and rWG index, respectively. Results: The total User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale score had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.87). Internal consistencies of its subscales were also acceptable: with Cronbach’s α of 0.71, 0.78, 0.71, and 0.73 for engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information, respectively. Cronbach’s α of the satisfaction subscale was 0.46. The User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale total and sub-scales scores had a strong within-group agreement, all of them with rwg indexes between 0.78 and 0.87 over baseline to 1 month. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale is consistent with the English original version and is a reliable and valid tool to assess the quality of mobile applications by Turkish users.