Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Nov 12, 2019
Date Accepted: Apr 7, 2020
Use of a Mobile Phone App Intervention to Promote Weight Loss: A Meta-Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Obesity and lack of physical activity are major health risk factors for many life-threatening diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetics, and cancer. The use of a mobile app intervention to promote weight loss and boost physical activity in the populations of children and adults is fascinating owing to the demand for cutting-edge and more efficient intervention approaches. Previously published studies have examined different types of technology-based interventions and their impact on weight loss and the increase of physical activity, but evidence regarding the impact of exclusively a mobile phone app on weight loss and the increase of physical activity is still lacking.
Objective:
The main objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and use of a mobile phone app intervention for reducing body weight and the increase of physical activity in the population of children and adults.
Methods:
PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, EMBASE, and the Web of Science electronic databases were searched for studies published between January 1, 2000, and April 30, 2019, without language restrictions. Two experts independently screened all the titles and abstracts to find the most appropriate studies. To be included, studies had to be either a randomized control trial or a case-control study which assessed a mobile phone app intervention with bodyweight loss and physical activity outcome. The Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias tool was used to examine the risk of publication bias.
Results:
A total of 12 studies with a mobile phone app intervention were included in this meta-analysis. Use of a mobile phone app was associated with significant changes in body weight (kg), and body mass index (kg/m2) of -1.07 kg (95%CI: -1.92 to -0.21, p=0.01), and -0.45 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.78 to -0.12, p<0.01), respectively. Moreover, non-significant improvements in physical activity was observed (0.17, 95%CI: -2.21 to 2.55, p= 0.88).
Conclusions:
The findings of this study demonstrate a promising and emerging efficacy of using a mobile phone app intervention for reducing weight loss and increasing physical activity. Future studies are needed to explore the long-term effectiveness of a mobile app intervention with larger samples. Clinical Trial: N/A
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