Mobile Phone Apps to Promote Weight Loss and Increase Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND Obesity and lack of physical activity are major health risk factors for many life-threatening diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The use of mobile app interventions to promote weight loss and boost physical activity among children and adults is fascinating owing to the demand for cutting-edge and more efficient interventions. Previously published studies have examined different types of technology-based interventions and their impact on weight loss and increase in physical activity, but evidence regarding the impact of only a mobile phone app on weight loss and increase in physical activity is still lacking. OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a mobile phone app intervention for reducing body weight and increasing physical activity among 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 controlled trial or a case-control study that assessed a mobile phone app intervention with body weight loss and physical activity outcomes. The Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool was used to examine the risk of publication bias. RESULTS A total of 12 studies involving a mobile phone app intervention were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the use of a mobile phone app was associated with significant changes in body weight (−1.07 kg, 95% CI −1.92 to −0.21, P=.01) and body mass index (−0.45 kg/m2, 95% CI −0.78 to −0.12, P=.008). Moreover, a nonsignificant increase in physical activity was observed (0.17, 95% CI −2.21 to 2.55, P=.88). CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study demonstrate the promising and emerging efficacy of using mobile phone app interventions for weight loss. Future studies are needed to explore the long-term efficacy of mobile app interventions in larger samples.

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Use of Mobile Phone App Interventions to Promote Weight Loss: Meta-Analysis

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/17039 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. e17039

Author(s):

Md Mohaimenul Islam ◽

Tahmina Nasrin Poly ◽

Bruno Andres Walther ◽

Yu-Chuan (Jack) Li

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Body Weight ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Mobile App ◽

Control Group ◽

Promote Weight Loss ◽

The Impact

Background Obesity and lack of physical activity are major health risk factors for many life-threatening diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. The use of mobile app interventions to promote weight loss and boost physical activity among children and adults is fascinating owing to the demand for cutting-edge and more efficient interventions. Previously published studies have examined different types of technology-based interventions and their impact on weight loss and increase in physical activity, but evidence regarding the impact of only a mobile phone app on weight loss and increase in physical activity is still lacking. Objective The main objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a mobile phone app intervention for reducing body weight and increasing physical activity among 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 controlled trial or a case-control study that assessed a mobile phone app intervention with body weight loss and physical activity outcomes. The Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool was used to examine the risk of publication bias. Results A total of 12 studies involving a mobile phone app intervention were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the use of a mobile phone app was associated with significant changes in body weight (−1.07 kg, 95% CI −1.92 to −0.21, P=.01) and body mass index (−0.45 kg/m2, 95% CI −0.78 to −0.12, P=.008). Moreover, a nonsignificant increase in physical activity was observed (0.17, 95% CI −2.21 to 2.55, P=.88). Conclusions The findings of this study demonstrate the promising and emerging efficacy of using mobile phone app interventions for weight loss. Future studies are needed to explore the long-term efficacy of mobile app interventions in larger samples.

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Targeting the postpartum period to promote weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Nutrition Reviews ◽

10.1093/nutrit/nuy024 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 76 (8) ◽

pp. 639-654 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Jodie M Dodd ◽

Andrea R Deussen ◽

Cecelia M O’Brien ◽

Danielle A J M Schoenaker ◽

Amanda Poprzeczny ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Postpartum Period ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Promote Weight Loss

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Mobile Health Applications Interventions For Prediabetic State: Protocol of Systematic Review

10.21203/rs.3.rs-676603/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yaltafit Abror Jeem ◽

Refa Nabila ◽

Dwi Ditha Emelia ◽

Lutfan Lazuardi ◽

Hari Kusnanto Josef

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

State Intervention ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Daily Physical Activity ◽

Forest Plot ◽

Prediabetic State ◽

Mobile Phone Applications

Abstract Background: Individuals with prediabetic state are much more likely to develop Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (TD2M) 4 times greater than those with normal glucose tolerance. Lifestyle changes such as daily physical activity and healthy diets can decrease the risk of prediabetic state . Mobile applications intervention could be one of the solutions to improve self-management awareness and compliance of prediabetic state intervention. There are no studies in systematic reviews of mobile phone applications intervention to prevent prediabetic state yet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to collect and summarize the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring the effectiveness of mobile phone applications for intervention in prediabetic state patients.Methods: This protocol was prepared in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) statement. The database that will be used includes PubMed, ProQuest and EBSCO with date restriction between January 2007 and July 2019 in English language only. Identification of articles will be done independently by three reviewers through the title of the articles, reviewing the abstract, and then the full-text-article. Any disagreement will be resolved by consensus. The quality assessment and possible risk of bias will be evaluated using forms adapted from the Jadad score. Extraction and content analysis will be performed systematically. Quantitative data will be presented graphically via forest plot with 95% confidence intervals. Where possible we will explore the heterogeneity and continue to conduct meta-analysis using RevMan software package. Discussion: Changes in lifestyle, such as daily physical activity and a nutritious diet, can help to reduce the risk of prediabetes. Mobile phone applications, including health-related applications, is demonstrated to have a lot of promise in terms of providing tailored medical recommendations. Conclusion: The proposed systematic review and meta-analyses will allow us to obtain the evidence exploring the effectiveness of mobile phone applications for intervention in prediabetic state patients.Systematic review registration: This protocol has been registered in the Prospective Registry of Systematic Review (PROSPERO) database (CRD42021243813).

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The Effectiveness of Mobile Phone Messaging-Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” (Preprint)

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/29663 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed Alsahli ◽

Alaa Abd-Alrazaq ◽

Mowafa Househ ◽

Stathis Konstantinidis ◽

Holly Blake

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Meta Analysis

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Effect of interventions based on regular physical activity on weight management in adolescents: a systematic review and a meta-analysis

Systematic Reviews ◽

10.1186/s13643-021-01602-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Babak Moeini ◽

Forouzan Rezapur-Shahkolai ◽

Saeed Bashirian ◽

Amin Doosti-Irani ◽

Maryam Afshari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Clinical Trial ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Weight Management ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

Regular Physical Activity ◽

Control Group ◽

Significant Finding

Abstract Background Physical inactivity is one of the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of educational interventions on promoting regular physical activity in adolescent weight management programs. Methods The relevant studies indexed in Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest databases were searched using keywords namely “Physical Activity, Adolescent, Weight Management, Body Mass Index (BMI), Randomized Controlled Trials, and Clinical Trial.” Up to the end of March 2020, two authors independently screened the papers, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the studies using Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool. Results Out of 12,944 initial studies, 14 met the inclusion criteria after screening the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the papers. The participants in these studies were aged between 6 and 18 years, and 13 studies included participants from both sexes. Moreover, eight of them were performed as a controlled clinical trial. The overall estimate of the difference showed that the interventions improved weight loss which is a statistically significant finding. The participants in the intervention group had a weight loss of 1.02 kg compared to the control group at a 95% confidence interval (− 4.794–0.222). Conclusion Published longitudinal data indicated that physical activity declines over the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Using the results of the study, policy-makers can design educational interventions using educational models and patterns. Systematic review registration PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020173869

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Group-Based Diet and Physical Activity Weight-Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being ◽

10.1111/aphw.12121 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 62-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Aleksandra J. Borek ◽

Charles Abraham ◽

Colin J. Greaves ◽

Mark Tarrant

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Randomised Controlled Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

Weight Loss Interventions

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Effect of Lifestyle Intervention Programs on Weight-Loss and Maintenance in Obese Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa063_069 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 1671-1671

Author(s):

Jéssica Polet ◽

Flávia Silva ◽

Taiana dos Santos ◽

Julia Bregolin ◽

Vivian Luft ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Caloric Restriction ◽

Large Scale ◽

Sequential Analysis ◽

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Trial Sequential Analysis ◽

Promote Weight Loss ◽

Subgroup Analyses

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the effect of lifestyle change programs on weight-loss and its maintenance in obese individuals. The trial sequential analysis (TSA) was applied to determine whether the currently available evidence is sufficient. Methods The PubMed, EMBASE and Lilacs databases were searched for randomized clinical trials published before May of 2018. Data were pooled using an inverse-variance random-effects meta-analysis and expressed as weighted mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was quantified and explored using subgroup analyses. Results Eleven trials (12 publications, 1416 participants) were considered eligible to be included in this meta-analysis. Caloric restriction was effective to promote weight-loss at 12 months [WMD − 3.79 kg (95%CI − 4.78 to − 2.79), I² = 87.5%] and 24 months [WMD − 6.20 kg (95%CI − 10.81 to − 1.59), I² = 71.2%] and TSA showed convincing evidence of an effect. At 36 months, there were no differences in body weight change [−2.06 kg (95%CI − 7.00 to 2.89), I² = 0.0%] and the meta-analysis included less patients than the required information size according to TSA. Subgroup analyses suggest improved weight-loss for caloric restrictions that are greater than 501 Kcal, Dietitian as the interventionist, intensity of intervention twice a month and dropout rates of < 20%. Conclusions For obesity management in clinical practice, caloric restriction is effective to promote weight-loss for up to two years, preferably with a caloric deficit that is greater than 501 Kcal, if performed by registered Dietitian and if associated with a behavioral component and at least twice-monthly contact with a health team. For weight-loss maintenance greater than three years, large-scale trials are required to support these findings. Funding Sources This systematic review was supported by Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa e Eventos (FIPE) from Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. JPP was recipient of scholarships from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).

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