JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and general distress has risen in recent years. Mobile mental health programs have been found to provide support to nonclinical populations and may overcome some of the barriers associated with traditional in-person treatment; however, researchers have voiced concerns that many publicly available mobile mental health programs lack evidence-based theoretical foundations, peer-reviewed research, and sufficient engagement from the public.

Objective:

This study evaluates the usability, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of Noom Mood, a publicly available mobile Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- and mindfulness-based program.

Methods:

In this single-arm prospective cohort study, individuals who joined Noom Mood between August and October 2021 completed surveys at baseline and 4-week follow-up. Per-protocol analyses included those who completed both surveys (N=113), and intent-to-treat analyses included all participants (N=185).

Results:

A majority of the sample reported that the program is easy to use, they felt confident recommending the program to a friend, and they perceived the program to be effective at improving stress and anxiety. There were significant improvements in anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, depressive feelings, emotion regulation, and optimism in both the per-protocol and intent-to-treat analyses (all Ps <.001). Participants reported benefiting most from learning skills (e.g., breathing and cognitive reframing techniques), interacting with the program features, and gaining awareness of their emotions and thought patterns. Participants also made a number of suggestions to improve product functionality and usability.

Conclusions:

Results suggest that Noom Mood is usable, feasible and acceptable to participants, with promising preliminary outcomes. Future studies should build on these results to evaluate the effects of Noom Mood using more rigorous designs.