Development of physical training smartphone application to maintain fitness levels in seafarers

Background: In recent years, the prevention of non-communicable diseases represents one of the main problems of preventive medicine. Significant risk factor for these diseases is sedentary lifestyle; in other words, lack of physical activity. It is happened, especially in seafarers, since they do not have much facilitates to do physical exercise on board. The present study is designed to develop a simple user-guide mobile application to conduct activities with available equipment on board a ship. Materials and methods: We held two pilot tests for app evolution. In the first phase, we selected members (n = 13) and produced a questionnaire related to usability, feasibility, and accessibility of the app. Based on the responses from users, we developed the second version of the app and provided to (n = 15) random seafarers for testing and operating. Results: On average, 93.3% of seafarers mentioned that app was easy to use, while in the first phase it was equal to 84.6%. At the same time, 89.9% of users were satisfied with feasibility, and we had accomplished 95% satisfaction rate in the second phase. Ultimately, we had achieved better responses in the second evolution phase when compared with the first phase. Conclusions: This app is made for planning a quality physical activity program for seamen that allows a seafarer to choose the adequate activity in line with his physical characteristic, fitness level, and motivations.