Women’s health app ‘boosts’ health literacy, study reveals

The women’s health app Flo can significantly improve health literacy, new research by the company has found.

A randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted by Flo has shown that women who have used the period tracking app for at least three months had better health literacy and were able to manage their PMS and PMDD symptoms more effectively.

Health literacy is defined as the ability to access, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions. Low menstrual health literacy has been linked to inadequate self-care, reduced physical and mental wellbeing, and limitations in daily activities.

Flo’s first RCT now demonstrates that these gaps can be addressed through the use of digital health apps.

The company’s study revealed that women generally have low levels of health knowledge. However, after using the Flo app for 12 weeks, participants reported significant improvements compared with the control group in several key areas, including improved understanding of reproductive health and enhanced awareness of menstrual cycle patterns and symptoms

According to the research, women also reported increased confidence in managing their health, improved discussions about health with others, as well as decreased feelings of shame and embarrassment about menstruation.

In a separate trial focusing on premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), after using the Flo app for three months, participants also reported significant improvements, including reduced decreased time off work and improved knowledge about PMS and PMDD.

“While we’ve received anecdotal feedback about Flo’s positive impact, we wanted to quantify it scientifically,” said Dr Liudmila Zhaunova, director of science at Flo Health.

“Unlike most health apps, we chose to rigorously test Flo’s effectiveness through randomised controlled trials – the gold standard in medical research. This study provides solid evidence that using Flo can lead to improved health outcomes, setting a new benchmark for digital health app evaluation.”

Dr Anna Klepchukova, chief medical officer of Flo Health, said: “The results of our first RCT affirm that Flo is significantly enhancing health literacy on a global scale, and further highlights the importance of Flo’s global pro-social programme which provides free access to Flo Premium across 66 countries.

“Nearly 12 million women are already benefiting, and our aim is to eventually reach one billion women around the world.”

Flo’s team is currently conducting a follow-on study with a greater number of participants to understand how the app can further help women. The company says it is currently researching topics such as menstrual literacy, reproductive conditions, sexual health, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause.