Inclusion and exclusion criteria
| Inclusion criteria | Exclusion criteria |
|---|---|
| English language smartphone apps | Apps designed for tablet computers |
| Apps available through Google play and iTunes or NHS app store | Non-English language apps |
| Apps included in the medical, health and wellness or health and fitness section of Google play and iTunes and all NHS apps | Apps in other sections of the stores |
| Apps including gamification techniques: rewards, prizes, avatars, badges, leaderboards, competitions, health-related challenges | Smartphone apps that do not contain gamification techniques |
| Smartphone apps targeted at users of any age | Smartphone apps designed for healthcare professionals |
| Free and paid smartphone apps | Apps not targeting to change a physical health behaviour |
| Apps targeting to change a physical health behaviour | Apps that did not have customer ratings available |
Inclusion and exclusion criteria that were established for the initial search of the official Apple, Android app stores and NHS Health Apps Library aiming to identify all ‘top-rated’ smartphone apps incorporating gaming elements, which were marketed to the general public.
NHS, National Health Service.