Background and Aim: The World Health Organization defines physical inactivity as engaging in less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week for adults, which is recognized as a serious global health challenge with dangerous consequences for public health. Global statistics indicate that this issue is more prominent among women; in Iran, 61.9% of women do not engage in sufficient physical activity. The adoption and expansion of health-related technologies indicate their high potential in supporting self-care. This study aims to identify the necessary data elements for designing a personalized self-care fitness mobile application for women.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in two phases: literature review and data element needs assessment. In the first phase, relevant data elements for creating a personalized self-care fitness application for women were identified through scientific articles in databases and library resources, and a data elements checklist was prepared. In the second phase, based on the checklist, a questionnaire was designed by the researcher. Its validity was confirmed by the research team, and its reliability was calculated with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 91.3%.
Results: The aforementioned questionnaire was provided to 20 physicians from the sports medicine department at Mahdi Clinic, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, to thoroughly evaluate the proposed data elements in terms of their importance, measurability, and relevance. In total, 49 data elements were identified across seven sections: demographic information, health information, disease information, inappropriate behavioral habits, anthropometric data, reports, and lifestyle. Of these, 4 elements were removed due to incompatibility with the study objectives and low importance scores. Additionally, to facilitate future analyses, the remaining elements were re-categorized into 6 groups.
Conclusion: In this study, the key data elements required for designing and providing exercise programs specifically for women were identified and determined. This process aimed to enhance the level of physical activity and address the specific needs of women, thereby establishing a scientific and precise foundation for developing programs tailored to the physical and psychological characteristics of this group.
