# A Narrative Review of the Digital Equity Gap of Apps for Cigarette Smoking Cessation for Persons Living in the Hispanosphere

## TL;DR

This review highlights a significant digital equity gap in smoking cessation apps available in the Hispanosphere compared to the Anglosphere.

## Contribution

The study is the first to examine the availability and quality of Spanish-language smoking cessation apps in the Hispanosphere.

## Key findings

- Only 19 Spanish-language smoking cessation apps were found in Google Play.
- Apps had a median quality score of 63 out of 100, with issues like poor translations and misleading claims.
- A four to sevenfold gap in app availability was found between the Hispanosphere and the Anglosphere.

## Abstract

The Hispanosphere is a vast region of the world that has received
little attention in the digital health literature. No study to date has
examined the availability and quality of publicly available mobile
applications (apps) for cigarette smoking cessation in this region. Three
coders utilized the American Psychiatry Association (APA)’s Brief App
Evaluation Model Screener (Brief-AEM Screener) to evaluate the quality of
the label and public-facing screens of smoking cessation apps in Spanish.
Availability of apps in the Hispanosphere was compared to availability of
apps in the Anglosphere.

We identified and reviewed 19 apps in Spanish in Google Play. The
median score using the Brief-AEM Screener was 63 out of 100 suggesting
generally acceptable app quality and features according to the quality
standards for digital health tools proposed by the APA. However, we found
(1) notable inaccurate and misleading labelling claims, (2) poor grammar or
incomplete translations, and (3) a lack of cultural and linguistic
adaptation to countries in the Hispanosphere. Our comparison of smoking
cessation apps between the Hispanosphere and the Anglosphere suggested that
there is a large digital equity gap between these two regions, with a four
to sevenfold gap in app availability.

There is a relative shortage of quality and quantity of digital
health apps for smoking cessation in the Hispanosphere. To ensure the
cultural appropriateness of those digital interventions, it is essential
that developers of digital health tools establish community partners in the
region prior to developing apps for smoking cessation.