Sustained Engagement and Usability of a Mobile App to Study Menstrual Cycles in Young Adolescents.

Abstract

Study objective: To test patient engagement and satisfaction with mobile app menstrual monitoring in young adolescents. We hypothesized at least two-thirds of study participants would demonstrate sustained engagement with menstrual tracking over six months.

Methods: The study cohort included menstruating adolescents 10-14 years of age with regular access to a smartphone or tablet. Our study design allowed for a completely remote participant experience, and participants were primarily recruited through electronic platforms. Participants used our HIPAA-compliant Teen-Period (T-Dot) mobile app to track menstrual bleeding and related symptoms over a 6-month timeframe.

Results: 156 participants were included in data analysis (median age 13 years, IQR 12-14). One hundred participants (64.1%) met the primary outcome of engagement with T-Dot, meaning they entered data for ≥3 menses. Usability of T-Dot was positively rated by study participants, with the majority agreeing or strongly agreeing that T-Dot was easy to use (n=108, 74.5%) and helped to track menses effectively (n=104, 77.2%). Usability scores did not decrease from Week 6 to Month 6, nor did frequency of T-Dot use. Participant engagement did not differ significantly by age, race, body weight, or presence of heavy menstrual bleeding.

Conclusion: In this preliminary study of a teen-focused HIPAA-compliant menstrual tracking app, we achieved our enrollment goals and successfully implemented a decentralized prospective cohort study. Our findings demonstrate that menstrual tracking research is possible even in early adolescents.