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Kids Beating Asthma app

An app for children and teenagers with asthma, who want to learn about their condition.

Note: This app appears to no longer be available in the New Zealand app stores.

Kids Beating Asthma	Basic features
	No in-app advertising Doesn’t need WiFi/Mobile data except for the app updates No social networking (not needed since the app targets a younger audience)

What does the app do?

This app is designed to help educate children and teenagers about asthma. The app has English or Spanish language options and includes two sections, one for children under 12 years old and the other for teenagers (which was under development and not accessible at the time of this review). The app includes an education component with graphics and audio explanation of breathing and asthma. There is also a games section with two basic games. Much of the app is under development and is incomplete such as the entire teenage section and only 2 out of the 5 modules are complete. Overall the intention of the app is great, but it fails to deliver. See Pros & Cons below.

For the complete app description, go to either iTunes(external link) (Apple).

Kids beating asthma screenshot

Pros ✔	Cons ✘
Fun and interactive way to teach children about asthma. The bright colours and bold images are appealing to children. Has some quirky jokes which kids are likely to find engaging.	Most of the app development appears incomplete such as the teenage section, some of the content and most of the games. The app was last updated in 2013, so its been incomplete for a while now. Despite selecting the English option, some of the text appears in Spanish. The storyteller has a strong Spanish accent making some of the content difficult to understand - kiwi kids are not usually familiar with this accent or pronunciation of words. Not all information is age appropriate, and at times appears quite complex, for example, children under 12 years are unlikely to understand what is meant by the option Content and in learning about how we breath, in-depth, complex descriptions are given about bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli and the working of the diaphragm.
Date of this review: March 2017

Pros ✔

Cons ✘

Fun and interactive way to teach children about asthma.
The bright colours and bold images are appealing to children.
Has some quirky jokes which kids are likely to find engaging.

Most of the app development appears incomplete such as the teenage section, some of the content and most of the games. The app was last updated in 2013, so its been incomplete for a while now.
Despite selecting the English option, some of the text appears in Spanish.
The storyteller has a strong Spanish accent making some of the content difficult to understand - kiwi kids are not usually familiar with this accent or pronunciation of words.
Not all information is age appropriate, and at times appears quite complex, for example, children under 12 years are unlikely to understand what is meant by the option Content and in learning about how we breath, in-depth, complex descriptions are given about bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli and the working of the diaphragm.

Date of this review: March 2017

Related resources

This app has been reviewed by other independent websites:

The Kids Beating Asthma app might help children learn about their asthma(external link) iMedicalApps

References

The following references relate to articles about apps for asthma:

Hui CY, Walton R, McKinstry B, et al. The use of mobile applications to support self-management for people with asthma: a systematic review of controlled studies to identify features associated with clinical effectiveness and adherence.(external link) J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2016 Oct 2.
Cook KA, Modena BD, Simon RA. Improvement in Asthma Control Using a Minimally Burdensome and Proactive Smartphone Application.(external link) J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2016 Jul-Aug;4(4):730-737.
Househ M, Hossain N, Jamal A, et al. A cross-sectional content analysis of Android applications for asthma.(external link) Health Informatics J. 2016 Mar 3.
Wu AC, Carpenter JF, Himes BE. Mobile health applications for asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract.(external link) 2015 May-Jun;3(3):446-8
Huckvale K, Morrison C, Ouyang J, et al. The evolution of mobile apps for asthma: an updated systematic assessment of content and tools.(external link) BMC Med. 2015 Mar 23;13:58.
Marcano Belisario JS, Huckvale K, et al. Smartphone and tablet self management apps for asthma.(external link) Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Nov 27;(11)

Kids Beating Asthma app

What does the app do?

Related resources

References

Resources

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