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The ubiquitous nature of smartphone ownership, its broad application and usage, along with its interactive delivery of timely feedback are appealing for health-related behavior change interventions via mobile apps. However, users’ perspectives about such apps are vital in better bridging the gap between their design intention and effective practical usage. In this vein, a modified technology acceptance model (mTAM) is proposed here, to explain the relationship between users’ perspectives when using an AI-based smartphone app for personalized nutrition and healthy living, namely PROTEIN, and the mTAM constructs towards behavior change in their nutrition and physical activity habits. In particular, online survey data from 85 users of the PROTEIN app within a period of two months, were subjected to regression analysis to reveal the relationship of the mTAM constructs, i.e., perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEoU), perceived novelty (PN), perceived personalization (PP), usage attitude (UA), and usage intention (UI) with the users’ behavior change (BC), as expressed via the acceptance/rejection of six related hypotheses (H1-H6), respectively. The regression results have shown that all hypotheses H1-H6 can be accepted (), exhibiting adjusted coefficient of determination () within the range of 0.224-0.732, justifying the positive effect of PU, PEoU, PN, and PP on the UA, that in turn positively affects the UI, leading to the BC. The explored mTAM framework provides the means for explaining the role of each construct in the functionality of the PROTEIN app as a supportive tool for the users to improve their healthy living by adopting behavior change in their dietary and physical activity habits. The findings herein offer insights and references for formulating new strategies and policies to improve the collaboration among app designers, developers, behavior scientists, nutritionists, physical activity/exercise physiologists experts and marketing experts for app design/development towards behavior change.

Αυτό το άρθρο παρέχει συστάσεις προς την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (ΕΕ) ώστε να συμπληρώσει την απαίτηση εκτίμησης αντικτύπου σχετικά με την προστασία δεδομένων (ΕΑΠΔ), όπως προβλέπεται στον Γενικό Κανονισμό για την Προστασία Δεδομένων (ΓΚΠΔ), στοχεύοντας στην επίτευξη ισχυρότερης προστασίας προσωπικών δεδομένων. Τον Απρίλιο του 2016 η ΕΕ κατέληξε στο κυρίως μέρος της μεταρρύθμισης του νομικού πλαισίου για την προστασία προσωπικών δεδομένων. Η Ένωση αυτήν την στιγμή προετοιμάζει μέτρα εφαρμογής και κατευθυντήριες γραμμές για να εκτελέσει στο ακέραιο τις νέες νομικές διατάξεις πριν από την εφαρμογή τους τον Μάιο του 2018. Αυτή η μεταρρύθμιση εισάγει, μεταξύ άλλων «καινοτομιών», μία νέα νομική υποχρέωση για τη διενέργεια της ΕΑΠΔ. Ωστόσο, σ ’αυτήν την υποχρέωση διαπιστώνονται αδυναμίες. Προκειμένου να αντιμετωπιστεί αυτό, ενημερώνοντας αυτήν τη διαρκή διαδικασία χάραξης πολιτικής, η παρούσα συνοπτική έκθεση αποσκοπεί στο σχεδιασμό βέλτιστων πρακτικών για έναν γενικό τύπο εκτίμησης αντικτύπου, π.χ. που συστήνεται για διαφορετικούς τομείς (Ενότητα ΙΙ). Στην Ενότητα ΙΙΙ επιχειρείται μία πρώιμη αξιολόγηση του πώς αυτές οι βέλτιστες πρακτικές σχετίζονται με τη συγκεκριμένη εκτίμηση αντικτύπου η οποία προβλέπεται στον ΓΚΠΔ, ήτοι την ΕΑΠΔ. Των ενοτήτων αυτών προηγούνται συνοπτικές βασικές πληροφορίες στην εκτίμηση αντικτύπου, όπως: ορισμός, ιστορική επισκόπηση, θετικά και αρνητικά χαρακτηριστικά (Ενότητα Ι). Η Ενότητα ΙV ολοκληρώνει το άρθρο υποβάλλοντας προτάσεις για τη συμπλήρωση της υποχρέωσης ΕΑΠΔ στον ΓΚΠΔ: (1) να επεκταθεί το πεδίο της υποχρέωσης ΕΑΠΔ στον ΓΚΠΔ (2) να αναπτυχθούν μέθοδοι για τη διενέργεια αυτής της εκτίμησης (3) να ιδρυθούν «κέντρα αναφοράς» ΕΑΠΔ στις Αρχές Προστασίας Δεδομένων (ΑΠΔ). Αυτή η συνοπτική έκθεση απευθύνεται κυρίως στους φορείς χάραξης πολιτικής στην ΕΕ – και στο επίπεδο Κρατών-Μελών, παρά το γεγονός ότι μπορεί δυνητικά να γίνει αντικείμενο ενδιαφέροντος για τους ομολόγους τους σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο.

Este documento fornece recomendações para a União Europeia (UE) que facilitam o cumprimento da exigência legal de elaboração de relatórios de Avaliação de Impacto sobre a Proteção de Dados (AIPD), conforme definido pelo Regulamento Geral de Proteção de Dados (RGPD), com o objetivo de atingir uma proteção de dados pessoais mais robusta. Em abril de 2016, a UE concluiu a parte central da reforma do seu regime jurídico de proteção de dados pessoais. A UE está, atualmente, preparando medidas e diretrizes de implementação e manuais para dar pleno efeito às novas disposições jurídicas antes da sua entrada em vigor em maio de 2018. Tal reforma introduziu, dentre outras ‘novidades’, uma obrigação legal de elaboração de um AIPD. Entretanto, tal exigência padece de alguns pontos fracos. De forma a remediar essas limitações e para alimentar esse processo contínuo de elaboração de políticas, este documento de política (‘policy brief’) busca esboçar boas práticas para um tipo genérico de avaliação de impacto, i.e., recomendado para diferentes áreas (seção II). A seção III faz uma avaliação preliminar sobre como essas boas práticas se relacionam com os requerimentos específicos determinados pelo RGPD para relatórios de avaliação de impacto, i.e., Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). Essas seções são precedidas por informações contextuais sucintas sobre avaliações de impacto como por exemplo: definição, panorama histórico, suas vantagens e desvantagens (seção I). A Seção IV conclui com recomendações para o cumprimento da exigência de AIPDs pelo RGPD de forma a: (1) expandir o âmbito de aplicação dessa obrigação legal; (2) desenvolver métodos para a realização dessas avaliações de impacto; (3) estabelecer ‘centros de referência’ em AIPD nas autoridades nacionais de controle dos tratamentos de dados pessoais. Este documento de política é endereçado principalmente a formuladores de políticas públicas na União Europeia e em seus Estados-membros, sem prejuízo do potencial interesse que possa despertar nos seus pares ao redor do mundo.

Recent advancements in human-computer interaction, machine learning and in artificial intelligence hold the potential to influence both the curriculum and the pedagogy of school children. While the impacts of new technologies remain uncertain, ongoing research and innovation projects are already developing and testing such technologies in schools. This article builds on the experience of the authors as advisors for a Horizon 2020 (H2020) project conducting research with schoolchildren in twenty schools across the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain (the project MaTHiSiS). This contribution presents and discusses how the authors lived up to the obligation of conducting research in line with “ethical principles”.

Social phenomena that have an impact on European societies, such as ageism, can be explored and better understood by looking at the ways in which the law incorporates, supports, or attempts to oppose them. This chapter – which is the first of three different contributions in this book concerned with the legal aspects of ageism in Europe – provides a descriptive overview of the inter-connections between European law and ageing. By describing and summarizing selected elements of, EU human rights and discrimination law, the chapter makes a contribution towards a better understanding of the relationships between law, ageing, and ageism.

This paper provides recommendations for the European Union (EU) to complement the requirement for data protection impact assessment (DPIA), as set forth in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with a view of achieving a more robust protection of personal data. In April 2016 the EU concluded the core part of the reform of its legal framework for personal data protection. The Union is currently preparing implementing measures and guidelines to give full effect to the new legal provisions before their applicability from May 2018. This reform introduces, among other ‘novelties’, a legal requirement to conduct a DPIA. However, this requirement bears a few weak points. In order to inform this on-going policy-making process, the present policy brief attempts to draft a best practice for a generic type of impact assessment, i.e. recommended for different areas (section II). Section III makes an early evaluation of how this best practice relates to the specific impact assessment requirement set forth in the GDPR, i.e. DPIA. These sections are preceded by succinct background information on impact assessments as such: definition, historical overview, and their merits and drawbacks (section I). Section IV concludes this paper by offering recommendations for complementing the DPIA requirement in the GDPR: (1) to expand the scope of the DPIA requirement in the GDPR; (2) to develop methods for conducting such an assessment; (3) to establish ‘reference centres’ on DPIA at data protection authorities (DPAs). This policy brief is addressed predominantly to policy-makers at the EU- and Member State-level, notwithstanding the potential interest it might gain from their counterparts elsewhere in the world.

This chapter discusses the legality of operating commercially available applications or 'apps' for medical purposes. The chapter observes how the meticulous certification process established in the Medical Device Directive (MDD) is seldom applied to mHealth apps. This is the result of the application of the concept of "intended purpose.” This concept allows app developers to create apps that analogous to medical devices (i.e. having similar functions) but, because they have not been intended by their manufacturers to attain a medical purpose, they do not need to satisfy the stringent safety checks foreseen in the MDD. With the aid of concrete examples, the chapter highlights two gaps in the regulation of mHealth apps, concerning the reliability of the apps and the traceability of “bad apps”. In response to these concerns, the EU has taken a mixed approach-combining top down regulation with stakeholders’ participation and “self-assessment”. A comparison with the regulation of borderline apps in the United States allows the authors to make a recommendation for future research and policies concerning mHealth apps.

mHealth has the potential to transform health care by providing more timely and universal access to patients’ and users’ data. However, the potential for continuous patient monitoring and the ubiquitous exchange of sensitive health information, raise important questions about privacy and security. A recent development in the ongoing debate about privacy and mHealth is the Draft Code of Conduct on privacy for mobile health applications. Developed by mHealth industry organisations and facilitated by the European Commission, the Code is expected to foster trust amongst users of mobile applications processing data concerning health (at least where the developers of an mHealth app abide by the Code). This chapter’s aim is to present the Code, and, on this basis, analyse the EU’s legal framework on mobile technologies processing personal data, including health data.

The ageing society poses significant challenges to Europe's economy and society. In coming to grips with these issues, we must be aware of their ethical dimensions. Values are the heart of the European Union, as Article 1a of the Lisbon Treaty makes clear: "The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity?". The notion of Europe as a community of values has various important implications, including the development of inclusion policies. A special case of exclusion concerns the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it, the "digital divide", which in Europe is chiefly age-related. Policies to overcome the digital divide and, more generally speaking, e-inclusion policies addressing the ageing population raise some ethical problems. Among younger senior citizens, say those between 65 and 80 years old, the main issues are likely to be universal access to ICT and e-participation. Among the older senior citizens, say those more than 80 years old, the main issues are mental and physical deterioration and assistive technology. An approach geared towards the protection of human rights could match the different needs of senior citizens and provide concrete guidance to evaluate information technologies for them.

This chapter is concerned with a description of EU policy on ICT and ageing, with a specific interest in the role of ethical considerations in related processes. We first trace and review the development of an EU information society policy with regard to older persons, reviewing successive framings. In the next step, we address the governance dimension by identifying the EU actors and networks shaping the direction of technological change in this area, with particular attention to the role of ethics: this exercise produces an original analytical map mobilised as a navigational tool for a reflection on governing the issue at hand. For this review and the mapping exercise, the authors are guided by a research question asking how value-based decisions with regard to technological developments for the elderly are dealt within the EU policy-making process.

This chapter discusses the current regulatory approach within the European Union (EU) to nanomaterials, with a focus on its (lack of) precautionary dimensions. A first section discusses the general policy framework: the 2008 and 2012 European Commission Communications containing the EU starting points for regulating nanomaterials. In these communications the Commission spells out its regulatory strategy for nanomaterials. The section also discusses the role of Joint Research Center and Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks in collecting policy relevant data on nanomaterials and the idea of a nanomaterials registry. In a second section we pass in review applicable legislation. We explain how nanomaterials are addressed in Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and six other regulatory areas, and assess whether these regulatory instruments correspond to what was foreseen in the European Commission's general policy framework. When discussing REACH we will also highlight the role of expert groups that gravitate around this regulatory field: CASG, ECHA-NMWG, and Group Assessing Already Registered Nanomaterials. In a third section, we discuss whether the EU strategy can be qualified as precautionary, which we argue is an effective and indeed “harder” manner of regulating the risks stemming from nanomaterials. In doing so, we use the so-called “precautionary tool chest” developed by Myers et al. as a benchmark for sound implementation of the precautionary principle. In a final section we assess the precautionary dimension of the EU approach to nanomaterials. Our findings are far from optimist. Risks of nanomaterials are not taken into account adequately by the European legislator To remedy we discuss two possible regulatory strategies: adopting integrated legislation or pursuing the current scattered approach.

In this article, the role of consent is discussed in the framework of fundamental rights and in the context of mobile health technologies (mHealth), such as smart phones, mobile phones or tablet/palm-held computing devices to provide healthcare. The authors surmise how, in practice, although there will be more emphasis on informed consent formally, there will be less space for genuine individual consent. This betrays a focus more on the letter of consent rules in data protection than their spirit. This risks reducing consent to a tick box operation in a manner analogous to consumer transactions, something manifestly unsuitable for consent, even if only in informational terms, during medical procedures.

Multilevel global law is defying formal hierarchy in favour of a qualitative and responsive approach. As the cases of Solange and Kadi indicate, Courts may start giving priority to the legal order that better protects the values at stake. In law making, global law may be more and more responsive. Gone are the days of executives crafting ready-made treaties and bullying ratification back home; communities will react and force lawmakers to adjust and consult. The spectacular fiasco of Acta is a good example. The ACTA case, however, also instils the doubt whether this ‘responsiveness’ will be a general feature of global law or only of global information society law (cyberspace). Referring to the work of Andrew Murray on internet regulation and his discussion of failed enforcement against Wikileaks, one cannot but be prudent. The specific features of the internet make cyberspace another space than regular space. However, it is perhaps not to bold a pick to hold that the mechanism of responsiveness is, in due time and in some unexpected ways, to become a general characteristic of all law.

De auteurs bieden hier enerzijds een overzicht van de internationale instrumenten die mensenrechtenbescherming bieden en starten vervolgens de discussie of er nood is aan een specifiek ouderenverdrag. Deze vraag is uiterst actueel en sluit aan bij de resolutie die door de Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties eind 2010 werd aangenomen betreffende de problematiek van de ouderen. Met de resolutie werd immers een werkgroep opgericht die het bestaande mensenrechteninstrumentarium voor ouderen analyseert en mogelijke lacunes zal identificeren. Een mogelijke uitkomst van de werkzaamheden van de werkgroep kan een aanbeveling voor een ouderenverdrag zijn.

Ethical questions about information and communications technologies (ICT) have been debated since World War II. Western democracies have had more than 50 years of experience in addressing and organising the ethical, social and legal aspects (ESLA) of scientific and technological developments. However, this expertise, tradition and experience are not enough to manage the most urgent ethical and social issues and contemporary challenges involving ICT. A systematic and institutional organisation of social values in the context of modern ICT tools is needed. This paper focuses on four major areas: (i) developing a specific approach to ethical issues raised by ICT; (ii) describing in more detail the age-related digital divide in Europe; (iii) identifying technology trends and emerging challenges; and (iv) defining the legal framework for inclusion of senior citizens in the digital society. The paper then concludes with a summary of its key points on the basis of which it makes three proposals as a contribution to efforts aimed at overcoming the exclusion of senior citizens from today’s Information Society.

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Abstract This article examines the receptivity of the current EU legal regime towards innovative mHealth technologies and their deployment on a pan-European basis. At present, a coherent legal strategy towards the development of mHealth technologies does not exist. The deployment of such technologies is influenced in an uncoordinated way by various disparate European legislative initiatives. This article focuses on problems that may be encountered by mHealth platforms through application of the Medical Device and Data Protection Frameworks. Theses frameworks are analysed in this article through the lens of a pan-European deployment of mHealth technologies. The aim throughout is to look for potential problems for the deployment of such technologies posed by these frameworks and, where possible, to suggest improvements.

Privacy needs in e-inclusion of elderly people, we suggest, include both a function of shielding the individual from external pressures and an emancipatory one related to one's need and interest in sharing life experiences with others. Often, in concrete situations, older persons will have both interests and needs at the same time. In the information society, the protective function of privacy boils down to shielding older citizens from unnecessary or excessive categorisation. This may include legislative discriminatory measures and also techniques such as spam, targeted advertisements, commercial profiling, inertia selling, in general all occasions when it is not clear why and for which purpose one person's preferences, tastes etc... need to be opened up and used. The right to private life also recognises the right of individuals to establish relations with others. In order to exercise such a right it is necessary that human networks exist in which the act of sharing personal experiences or information can take place without the individual having to care, or to stay alert, or be anxious about the fact that there is a (data) arms race going on behind his or her back. In this sense, the crucial function of privacy is to protect networks, such as private situations of co-dependency, so sharing can remain a trusted inter - personal exercise. In the area of data protection, the realisation of ubiquitous environments, in particular in the field of health care and medical surveillance, emphasise the tension between data protection and the requirements of ICT environments, which need extensive data collection and pro?ling in order to make the user's environment act intelligently. Out of the overall solid data protection regime, we esteem three relevant areas ought to be given consideration from an elderly perspective. They concern the definition and implementation of privacy by design settings and regulations; rules on the transparency and accountability of processors and controllers; and consent requirements.

This contribution discusses two types of autonomy in ICT for older persons: autonomy in ICT for older persons as derived from the principles elaborated by legal practice on the notions of privacy and data protection; and autonomy in ICT for older persons as an achievement on account of by care-in-practice in long-term care. After contextualizing autonomy from the standpoint of law, the article draws from care-in-practice studies with the view of bringing to its real proportions the notion of autonomy and the role of consent. The tensions and overlaps of legal and care-in-practice modes of enacting the autonomy of the older people are displayed and discussed to prevent the inclusion of autonomy in ICT for older people from getting trapped either in excessive proceduralised mechanisms that may judicialize care practises or in coercive care practices that may disregard the autonomy of older people.

The identification of possible new subjects for rights entitlement seems to be fuelled by sensibilities that develop over time. The global phenomenon of demographic ageing influences societies and within ageing societies demands for new rights and duties have emerged. At the beginning of 2010, the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council delivered a working document defending "the necessity of a human rights approach and effective United Nations mechanism for the human rights of the older person." Written from a legal positivistic perspective, this article illustrates the legal construction of the human rights of older persons by analysing the pertinent case law as it develops within the pertinent legislative human rights framework and drawing inspiration from the interpretative and systematising work of legal scholars. Our conclusion is that the human rights framework could be complemented by a new treaty on the human rights of the older persons provided that it incorporates a more positive, explicit conception of rights and responsibilities towards those who are least advantaged, less well situated or less empowered.

The ageing society poses significant challenges to Europe's economy and society. In coming to grips with these issues, we must be aware of their ethical dimensions. Values are the heart of the European Union, as Article 1a of the Lisbon Treaty makes clear: ''The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity...''. The notion of Europe as a community of values has various important implications, including the development of inclusion policies. A special case of exclusion concerns the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it, the ''digital divide'', which in Europe is chiefly age-related. Policies to overcome the digital divide and, more generally speaking, e-inclusion policies addressing the ageing population raise some ethical problems. Among younger senior citizens, say those between 65 and 80 years old, the main issues are likely to be universal access to ICT and e-participation. Among the older senior citizens, say those more than 80 years old, the main issues are mental and physical deterioration and assistive technology. An approach geared towards the protection of human rights could match the different needs of senior citizens and provide concrete guidance to evaluate information technologies for them.

This deliverable (D9) contains an overview of the legal perspectives which are of relevance for the REACTION plattform. The focus lies particularly on data protection, patient rights, reimbursement and liability.

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The EU regulatory framework on nanomaterials falls mainly within the shared competence of the EU and of its member states. This means that the sources of the regu- lation of nanomaterials are found primarily in the law promulgated in Brussels, if Brussels thinks fit to draft laws in these areas, which is the case. The EU regulatory toolbox in- cludes directives and regulations which are binding on member states, as well as the so-called “soft law” instruments (not binding instruments) such as recommendations and communications. The European Commission (EC) and its agencies and research centers play a central, propulsive role in the regulatory process.

Ethical questions about information and communications technologies (ICT) have been debated since World War II. Western democracies have had more than 50 years of experience in addressing and organising the ethical, social and legal aspects (ESLA) of scientific and technological developments. However, this expertise, tradition and experience are not enough to manage the most urgent ethical and social issues and contemporary challenges involving ICT. A systematic and institutional organisation of social values in the context of modern ICT tools is needed. This paper focuses on four major areas: (i) developing a specific approach to ethical issues raised by ICT; (ii) describing in more detail the age-related digital divide in Europe; (iii) identifying technology trends and emerging challenges; and (iv) defining the legal framework for inclusion of senior citizens in the digital society. The paper then concludes with a summary of its key points on the basis of which it makes three proposals as a contribution to efforts aimed at overcoming the exclusion of senior citizens from today's Information Society.

mHealth describes a particular formulation of eHealth, which allows new methods of patient treatment that are not rooted to traditional locations such as hospitals or doctors' clinics. An ever more important key tool in such efforts is the 'medical app', which utilises generic smartphone platforms to deliver patient care and management on a truly mobile basis. Whilst such methods are beginning to open up new frontiers in healthcare delivery, there are a number of concerns as to the suitability of apps, as they currently exist, for such sensitive uses. The recent Warsaw declaration on 'apps' highlights many currently unresolved problems, especially in the area of data protection. Given the sensitive nature of such medical data this poses important problems. Further question marks arise over the safety of such apps and their use as de facto medical devices. This de facto nature arises from the failure of European authorities to enforce the requirements of the Medical Device Framework, even where the app in question clearly meets the definition of a device. This paper explores these problems and their implications for the development of mHealth. In conclusion, the authors suggest potential approaches that may be able to resolve such problems.

This chapter begins with a quote from the non-binding draft of the “Chicago Declaration of the Human Rights of Older Persons”, one of the most recent contributions to the ongoing debate on the human rights status of older persons. The authors of this chapter note that a paragraph in the preamble of that Declaration conflates discrimination on the grounds of (old) age, on the one hand, and other “forms of discrimination”, namely bias, stereotypes, prejudices, and stigma of older persons,on the other. Observing that, in recent years, the European Court of Human Rights has acknowledged in its case law that stereotyping and other forms of discrimination can affect human rights, this chapter asks how the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) deal with such cases.1 The purpose of our research is to highlight both the potential and the limitations of human rights law to stem the manifestations of ageism, as the proponents of the Chicago Declaration recommend.

The ubiquitous nature of smartphone ownership, its broad application and usage, along with its interactive delivery of timely feedback are appealing for health-related behavior change interventions via mobile apps. However, users' perspectives about such apps are vital in better bridging the gap between their design intention and effective practical usage. In this vein, a modified technology acceptance model (mTAM) is proposed here, to explain the relationship between users' perspectives when using an AI-based smartphone app for personalized nutrition and healthy living, namely, PROTEIN, and the mTAM constructs toward behavior change in their nutrition and physical activity habits. In particular, online survey data from 85 users of the PROTEIN app within a period of 2 months were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and regression analysis (RA) to reveal the relationship of the mTAM constructs, i.e., perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEoU), perceived novelty (PN), perceived personalization (PP), usage attitude (UA), and usage intention (UI) with the users' behavior change (BC), as expressed via the acceptance/rejection of six related hypotheses (H1–H6), respectively. The resulted CFA-related parameters, i.e., factor loading (FL) with the related p-value, average variance extracted (AVE), and composite reliability (CR), along with the RA results, have shown that all hypotheses H1–H6 can be accepted (p < 0.001). In particular, it was found that, in all cases, FL > 0.5, CR > 0.7, AVE > 0.5, indicating that the items/constructs within the mTAM framework have good convergent validity. Moreover, the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2) was found within the range of 0.224–0.732, justifying the positive effect of PU, PEoU, PN, and PP on the UA, that in turn positively affects the UI, leading to the BC. Additionally, using a hierarchical RA, a significant change in the prediction of BC from UA when the UI is used as a mediating variable was identified. The explored mTAM framework provides the means for explaining the role of each construct in the functionality of the PROTEIN app as a supportive tool for the users to improve their healthy living by adopting behavior change in their dietary and physical activity habits. The findings herein offer insights and references for formulating new strategies and policies to improve the collaboration among app designers, developers, behavior scientists, nutritionists, physical activity/exercise physiology experts, and marketing experts for app design/development toward behavior change.

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