Translation and validation of the traditional Chinese Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS-TW) for evaluating mHealth apps.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) applications are widely used in Taiwan, yet their quality remains unregulated. The Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) is a validated tool for assessing mHealth app quality, but a Traditional Chinese version has not been developed and validated. This study aimed to translate and validate the traditional Chinese version of MARS (MARS-TW) and assess its reliability and validity using a cross-cultural adaptation framework.

Methods

A three-phase cross-sectional study was conducted: (I) conceptual and item equivalence were evaluated by three experts; (II) semantic equivalence was assessed through forward and backward translation; (III) operational, measurement, and functional equivalence were tested on 44 mHealth apps related to cancer care (CC) and

SUBMITTER: Chen ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12594015 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature