[Use of the Smartphone to Promote Healthy Habits among Teen-agers, Spain].
OBJECTIVE
The PEGASO Project aims to design a technological system aimed at European adolescents to promote healthy lifestyles. The objective was to explore teenagers and their parents and teachers perceptions with regards to mobile technology use in promoting a healthier lifestyle, in terms of food and physical activity.


METHODS
Qualitative study based on primary data obtained through four focus groups analysis (three teenager groups between 13 and 15 y and 1 parent/teacher group). Verbatim transcriptions have been analysed following content analysis perspective.


RESULTS
Four different categories were identified: 1: social and cultural context, 2: adolescents and health, 3: role of technology in teenagers' lives and 4: use of technology to acquire healthier habits. Each category helped to arise various subcategories linked to the relation between teens and health: holistic health concept, health/disease perception directly related with feeling physically fit and social acceptance. With regards to technology, the arisen themes were: feeling connected with others, importance of entertainment/games, omnipresent use of Smartphones and risk of excessive dependence on technology. The difference between teens and adults with regards to health and technology categories were not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Both teens and adults think that for technology to be effective in acquiring healthier habits it has to help teens to improve and maintain their self-esteem, in an entertaining way and using their own communication codes, mainly audio-visual ones, always under the umbrella of a holistic and integrated perception of health.
Estudios de Ciencias de la Salud. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). Barcelona. España.|TransLab Research Group. Departament de Ciències Mèdiques. Facultat de Medicina. Universitat de Girona. Girona. España.|Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC). España.
Carme
C
Carrion
Departamento de Sociologia. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona. España.
Liliana
L
Arroyo Moliner
Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya. Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.
Conxa
C
Castell
Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQuAS). Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.
Elisa
E
Puigdomènech
Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya. Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.|Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQuAS). Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.
Santiago
S
Felipe Gómez
Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC). España.|Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQuAS). Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.
Laia
L
Domingo
Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC). España.|Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQuAS). Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.
Mireia
M
Espallargues
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000067697:Adolescent Health; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D000068997:Smartphone; D013030:Spain; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*
Adolescent Behavior; Education, Distance; Educational Technology; Food Habits; Habits; Health Promotion; Mobile Health; Parents; Qualitative Research; Spain; Technology; Telephone, Mobile; eHealth; mHealth