Melon app | By Melon Health |
Features
|
|
Country of origin | New Zealand |
Clinical review |
|
Security and privacy | Does the app:
Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: |
Cost | Free |
How to get the app |
Low or no data? Visit zero.govt.nz, scroll down the page then click on our logo to return to our site and browse for free.
Melon app
Melon app
- A health and wellness app with a variety of programmes. This review is of the self-care for Mental Wellbeing programme.
The Melon app is a health and wellness app with a variety of programmes. The app is aimed at people who want to improve their mental wellbeing. The app has the following main sections:
- Program which has 9 modules covering standard psychological tools to help with mental wellbeing, stress and anxiety. The modules include topics including “Tools to help everyday emotions” and “Connections and relationships – me whakawhanaunga”
- Journal for recording your sleep, activity, food diary, and feelings.
- Resources has multiple videos, podcasts and articles on a range of wellbeing topics.
- I need help has an emergency contact list and emergency exercises.
For the complete app description, go to the app website(external link), Google Play(external link), App Store(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.
PROS | CONS |
---|---|
✔ Set program to progress through. ✔ Wide range of resources. ✔ New Zealand based information, including topics on Te Ao Māori and Pacific Peoples wellbeing. ✔ Interactive section to create your own Hauora Wellness Plan. ✔ Optional notifications and reminders. ✔ Free. They advertise other programmes for long-term conditions (eg, diabetes) but Healthify has only reviewed the Self-Care for Mental Wellbeing programme. |
✘ The programme section doesn't have any interactive worksheets. ✘ The resources and programme sections seem to use WebView, which leads to some minor navigation problems. ✘ The documents section only supports photos/images, not documents or free text. ✘ The documents section doesn’t seem to work currently / doesn’t upload images. ✘ The app mentions a community section however it doesn’t appear to be included in the app currently. ✘ It's not optimised for tablet and uses a zoomed-in phone version with large black bars. |
Clinical review
Reviewer: Emma Riddell, Clinical Pharmacist, Te Whatu Ora
Date of review: May 2024
Platform: Android
Version: 3.66.5
Comments: This app is a really great starting point for anyone wanting to understand their own mental wellbeing and looking for ways to improve it. It's not aimed at people with diagnosed mental health conditions, but would be a really great source of information for all New Zealanders. The program section covers a variety of topics including self-care, understanding your own values, tools to help deal with everyday emotions, mindfulness, relationships, and nutrition. There is also a section on supporting other people in your life who may be struggling with their mental wellbeing.
There are videos and images within each module to help support your understanding. I found it really easy to follow, and you don't need to sit down and do the whole program at once – your progress is saved so you can come back to it at any time. The only downside is that there is no interactive component – I would suggest users of this app use a journal in addition to the app so you can write down answers and ideas as you work your way through the program.
There's also a section with resources to learn more about different aspects of self-care and mental wellbeing, and it includes a wide variety of topics to do with mental wellbeing, including sections about Te Ao Māori, Pacific Peoples wellbeing, and sexual and gender diversity. Just like the program section, these resources are provided in a range of formats, eg, text, images, and videos. There are also links to external websites and videos.
The journal section allows you to document your sleep, activity, mood, and energy. You can also upload photos of meals to create a food diary.
One of my favourite parts of the app is an interactive section called “Surveys”. It includes a quality of life questionnaire to help yourself understand your own mental wellbeing, and a Hauora Wellness Plan, which provides prompts to answers for actions you can do to improve your mental wellbeing, and what you're going to do if you are struggling. You can refer back to this section at any stage.
Safety concerns: None.
New Zealand relevance: Yes.
Disclaimer: The NZ Health App Library is a free consumer service to help you decide whether a health app would be suitable for you. Our review process is independent. We have no relationship with the app developers or companies and no responsibility for the service they provide. This means that if you have an issue with one of the apps we have reviewed, you will need to contact the app developer or company directly. |
Factsheets – using health apps safely
How to choose a health app
Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ
Privacy and security tips for using health apps
Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ
Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.