Currently submitted to: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: May 27, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 2, 2026 - Jul 28, 2026
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eHealth interventions focused on nutrition and physical activity in older adults: a systematic review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity and nutrition, are key determinants of healthy ageing; nevertheless, adherence to recommended guidelines remains low among older adults. Digital health interventions may offer scalable strategies to support behavior change in this population.
Objective:
This systematic review examined the effects of eHealth interventions integrating both nutrition and physical activity on health outcomes in adults aged over 60 years.
Methods:
Five electronic databases were systematically searched. Eligible studies included structured and tailored eHealth interventions targeting both nutrition and physical activity and reporting pre–post changes in health-related outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using the PEDro scale for randomized controlled trials and ROBINS-I for non-randomized designs.
Results:
Fourteen studies (2018–2025) were included, involving healthy older adults and those with obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular risk, sarcopenia, or nutritional vulnerability. In healthy older adults, combined digital interventions produced limited changes in body composition, physical function, cardiometabolic markers, and dietary intake, likely reflecting ceiling effects. In contrast, among older adults with metabolic, functional, or nutritional impairments, more consistent and clinically meaningful improvements were observed in body composition parameters, glycemic control, blood pressure, physical function, physical activity behavior, and dietary quality. However, study heterogeneity, incomplete reporting of adherence, and improvements in control groups limit the strength of causal interpretation.
Conclusions:
Combined digital nutrition and physical activity interventions appear promising, particularly for older adults with metabolic, functional, or nutritional risk. Higher-quality trials with standardized outcomes, adequate intervention intensity, and longer follow-up are needed to establish effectiveness and sustainability.
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