Factors associated with the non-use of mobile health applications among adults in the United States

Aim This study aimed to assess the recent prevalence of mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) use among United States (US) adults and identify the factors associated with the non-use of mHealth apps in order to provide the necessary information to address the disparities associated with mHealth use.Subject and methods Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 6 (HINTS 6), a nationally representative survey by the National Cancer Institute targeting US adults, was used. Sociodemographic and individual characteristics were assessed as predictors of mHealth app non-use. Survey data were analyzed using STATA 17.0 with sampling weights incorporated.Results Approximately 92.9% of US adults have a smartphone or tablet computer. About 56.6% of US adults used an mHealth app within the past 12 months. mHealth app non-use was significantly associated with an increase in age (aOR = 1.02, p < 0.001), being male (aOR = 1.51, p = 0.001), having an annual income <35,000 (aOR = 2.23, p < 0.001) or between $35,000 and $74,999 (aOR = 1.59, p = 0.003), being unmarried (aOR = 1.24, p = 0.045), having a high school diploma or less (aOR = 2.50, p < 0.001) or some college (aOR = 1.39, p = 0.012), and never had care with telehealth within the past 12 months (aOR = 2.09, p < 0.001).Conclusion This study contributed to the literature by providing up-to-date information on the use of mHealth apps and showed that despite the promising potential mHealth has in addressing health disparities among different US populations, it is paramount to consider and adequately address factors that could contribute to the non-usage of mHealth apps itself.