scholarly journals Efficacy of interventions incorporating mobile applications in facilitating weight loss and health behavior change in the Asian population: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Preprint)

Author(s):  
Siew Min Ang ◽  
Juliana Chen ◽  
Jia Huan Liew ◽  
Jolyn Johal ◽  
Yock Young Dan ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siew Min Ang ◽  
Juliana Chen ◽  
Jolyn Johal ◽  
Jia Huan Liew ◽  
Yock Young Dan ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Smartphone applications (apps) have shown potential in enhancing weight management in the Western population in the short to medium term. With a rapidly growing obesity burden in the Asian populations, researchers are turning to apps as a service delivery platform to reach a greater target audience to efficiently tackle the problem. OBJECTIVE This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the efficacy of interventions incorporating apps in facilitating weight loss and health behavior change in the Asian population. METHODS Six databases were searched in June 2020. Eligible studies were controlled trials utilizing an app in the intervention in participants aged 18 years or above and from an Asian ethnicity. A meta-analysis to test intervention efficacy, subgroup analyses and post-hoc analyses were conducted to determine the effects of adding app to usual care and study duration. The primary outcome was absolute or percentage weight change while secondary outcomes were changes to lifestyle behaviors. RESULTS A total of 21 studies were included in this review and 17 were selected for the meta-analysis. The pooled effect size across 14 randomized controlled trials for weight change was small to moderate (Hedges’ g = -0.28, 95% CI = -0.44 to -0.12) however, this was not representative of long-term studies (more than a year). Stand-alone app interventions were inefficacious for weight loss but supplementing multi-component usual care with an app led to statistically significant weight change (Hedges’ g = -0.25 95% CI = -0.43 to -0.07). Asian apps were largely culturally adapted and multi-functional, with the most common app features being communication with health professionals and self-monitoring of behaviors and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS More evidence is required to determine the efficacy of apps in the long term and address app non-usage to maximize the potential of the intervention. Future research should determine the efficacy of each component of the multi-component intervention to facilitate study designs that are most effective and cost-efficient for weight management. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42020165240.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashleigh A. Armanasco ◽  
Yvette D. Miller ◽  
Brianna S. Fjeldsoe ◽  
Alison L. Marshall

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 559-571
Author(s):  
Megan S. Maisano ◽  
Eleanor T. Shonkoff ◽  
Sara C. Folta

Objectives: In this scoping review, we examine the current state of literature on weight-related Multiple Health Behavior Change (MHBC). Specifically, we investigate: (1) MHBC versus single health behavior change (SHBC) interventions and (2) simultaneous versus sequential MHBC approaches. Secondarily, we explore (3) attributes that predict success in MHBC, and (4) the utilization of theoretical frameworks. Methods: We retrieved studies from PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar within the 2000 to 2018 range. Results: MHBC interventions proved superior for long-term weight loss when compared to SHBC approaches. However, the literature is limited. Studies investigating simultaneous and sequential MHBC approaches are also limited and have mixed results. Predictive characteristics of MHBC include behavior adherence, risk level, stage of change, self-efficacy, social support, environmental barriers, and treatment approaches. Whereas evidence evaluating theory in MHBC programs remains scant, there is promising research on constructs from the Transtheoretical Model and Social Cognitive Theory. Conclusions: MHBC approaches may better support weight loss efforts. However, further research is needed to understand the effects of behavior change order and timing, predictive features of participants and interventions, and theoretical framework utilization in these weight-loss programs.


Author(s):  
António L Palmeira ◽  
Pedro J Teixeira ◽  
Teresa L Branco ◽  
Sandra S Martins ◽  
Cláudia S Minderico ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol Volume 12 ◽  
pp. 2165-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie T Williams ◽  
Tanja Effing ◽  
Catherine Paquet ◽  
Carole Gibbs ◽  
Hayley Lewthwaite ◽  
...  

10.2196/23786 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. e23786
Author(s):  
Yanping Duan ◽  
Borui Shang ◽  
Wei Liang ◽  
Gaohui Du ◽  
Min Yang ◽  
...  

Background Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are associated with the burden of premature deaths and huge medical costs globally. There is an increasing number of studies combining a multiple health behavior change (MHBC) intervention paradigm with eHealth approaches to jointly promote weight-related health behaviors among people with NCD; yet, a comprehensive summary of these studies is lacking. Objective This review aims to meta-analyze the effectiveness and systematically summarize the characteristics of the relevant intervention studies for improving the outcomes of physical activity, healthy diet, and weight among people with NCD. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, 4 electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched to identify eligible articles based on a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Article selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were independently performed by 2 authors. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for 3 intervention outcomes (physical activity, healthy diet, and weight), and subsequent subgroup analyses were performed for gender, age, intervention duration, channel, and theory. Calculations were conducted, and figures were produced in SPSS 22 and Review Manager 5.3. Results Of the 664 original hits generated by the systematic searches, 15 eligible studies with moderate to high quality were included. No potential publication bias was detected using statistical analyses. Studies varied in intervention channel, intensity, and content. The meta-analysis revealed that the eHealth MHBC interventions significantly promoted physical activity (SMD 0.85, 95% CI 0.23 to 1.47, P=.008) and healthy diet (SMD 0.78, 95% CI 0.13 to 1.43, P=.02), but did not contribute to a healthy weight status (SMD –0.13, 95% CI= –0.47 to 0.20, P=.43) among people with NCDs, compared to the control conditions. Results from subgroup analysis indicated that theory-based interventions achieved greater effect than nontheory-based interventions in promoting physical activity, and interventions with traditional approaches (SMS, telephone) were more effective than those with modern internet-based approaches in promoting healthy diet. Conclusions The results of this review indicates that eHealth MHBC interventions achieve preliminary success in promoting physical activity and healthy diet behaviors among people with NCD. Future studies could improve the intervention design to achieve better intervention effectiveness. Trial Registration PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42019118629; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=118629


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