PreveCan, an app for cancer prevention based on the 2018 WCRF/AICR guidelines: development and usability
Objective: To develop and asses the usability of a Spanish-language mobile application (PreveCan) to educate the public about the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommendations for cancer prevention. Method: The app was developed using a user-cent...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Conselleria de Salut i Consum del Govern de les Illes Balears |
| Repositorio: | Docusalut |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:docusalut.com:20.500.13003/27013 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13003/27013 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Cancer prevention Estilos de vida International recommendations Lifestyle PreveCan Prevención del cáncer Recomendaciones WCRF/AICR Recomendaciones internacionales WCRF/AICR recommendations |
| Sumario: | Objective: To develop and asses the usability of a Spanish-language mobile application (PreveCan) to educate the public about the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommendations for cancer prevention. Method: The app was developed using a user-centred design approach involving epidemiology, medical, nutrition and software design experts and public. PreveCan educates users on WCRF/AICR recommendations rating their adherence from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent), offering advice for improvement and evidence-based additional information on the relationship between lifestyles and cancer. Usability was assessed in a cross-sectional study of 181 participants using a translated version of the 20-item mHealth App Usability Questionnaire, which rated ease of use and satisfaction, information layout, and overall usefulness of PreveCan on 1-5 scale. Results: General usability of PreveCan was rated highly, with a median score of 94/100 (IQR: 85-99). Ease of use and satisfaction scored 39/40 (IQR: 35-40), with 87% of users rating all items ≥4 points. Information organization scored 33/35 (IQR: 30-35), with 83% of users rating ≥4. Usefulness was rated ≥4 by 77% of users, but satisfaction was slightly lower (22/25; IQR: 20-25). Common feedback highlighted the need for a standardized response format and stronger incentives to encourage regular use. Based on this, PreveCan was updated and is freely available on Google Play and the Apple Store. Conclusions: PreveCan is a useful tool to inform Spanish-speaking users on lifestyle changes to reduce cancer risk by assessing adherence to WCRF/AICR cancer prevention guidelines. |
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