Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jun 6, 2020
Date Accepted: Sep 2, 2020
Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus using mobile health technology: a systematic review of the literature
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital technology is an opportunity for public health interventions to reach a large part of the population.
Objective:
This systematic literature review aimed to assess the effectiveness of mobile health-based interventions in reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Methods:
The systematic search was conducted in seven electronic databases using a predefined search strategy. Articles published between inception of databases and March 2019 were included if they reported on the effectiveness of an intervention for prevention of cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes mellitus via mobile technology. One researcher performed the search, study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment. The steps were validated by the other team members.
Results:
The search yielded 941 articles for cardiovascular disease of which three met the inclusion criteria, and 732 for type 2 diabetes mellitus of which six met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies was low, with the main issue being non-blinding of participants. Four studies used text messaging, one used WhatsApp and the remaining ones used specific smartphone applications. Weight loss and reduction in body mass index were the most reported successful outcomes (reported in four studies).
Conclusions:
The current evidence on the effectiveness of mobile health-based interventions in reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus is low due to the quality of the studies and the small effects that were measured. This highlights the needs for further high-quality research to investigate the potential of mobile health interventions.
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Copyright
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