A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Dietary and Physical Activity Mobile Health Applications among Adults with Chronic Disease
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Date
2021-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Problem: In the United States, six in ten adults have a chronic disease. One affordable self-care resource for patients with chronic disease to reduce complications is to track diet and physical activity using mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps). However, it is unknown how effective mHealth apps are for improving health outcomes.
Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of interventions that used dietary and/or physical activity mHealth apps to improve health outcomes among adults living with chronic disease or high risk for developing chronic disease.
Search Strategy: A total of six databases were searched to identify studies published between the years of 2015 to 2020 using the PRISMA guidelines. Studies were eligible if they were conducted with adults (18 and older), diagnosed with chronic disease or at high risk for chronic disease, and used a smartphone app to improve health outcomes. Outcomes that were measured were activity level, weight, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, calorie intake, and fruit or vegetable intake. Two reviewers independently reviewed studies for eligibility.
Results of Literature Search: The initial search identified 131 studies. After removing duplicates and assessing the full text papers, a total of eight studies met the search criteria. The mean age of the participants was 51 years, the duration of studies ranged from 2-12 months, and the majority (n= 6) were conducted in a healthcare setting. Seventy-five percent of the studies (n= 6) had a large sample size (>90) and included both diet and physical activity tracking features in the app. Overall, interventions with apps using a multicomponent approach for tracking diet and physical activity (n= 4) were more effective than alternative interventions.
Synthesis of Evidence: This review provides evidence suggesting multicomponent interventions using apps with both diet and physical activity features for six months or longer, are effective to increase activity levels in adults living with or at risk for chronic disease. However, the evidence is lacking for which app is the best to be integrated into routine clinical practice and how many features are needed for long-term engagement.
Implications for Practice: This study highlights the potential health benefits for reducing inactivity and improving diet in patients living with chronic disease by using multicomponent interventions that use apps with both diet and physical activity features.
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Keywords
mobile applications, diet, chronic disease, adults