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Mobile Health Applications in Weight Management: A Systematic Literature Review
Open accessAbstract
CONTEXT: Weight management is an effective strategy for controlling chronic disease and maintaining physical health, and research on this topic has risen dramatically over the past four decades. The present systematic literature review aimed to identify existing evidence on the efficacy of mobile health technology in facilitating weight management behaviors, such as healthy food consumption and physical activity. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic search was conducted in Ovid MEDLINE and Ovid PsycINFO databases with the aim to identify studies published in peer-reviewed journal articles between 2012 and 2017. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 39 studies were analyzed in spring 2018 and are presented here in terms of participant characteristics, effective technology components, additional treatments, impact on health-related behaviors, and treatment efficacy. Indicators of study quality and social validity are also provided. CONCLUSIONS: Mobile health apps are widely considered as satisfactory, easy to use, and helpful in the pursuit of weight loss goals by patients. The potential of mobile health apps in facilitating weight loss lies in their ability to increase treatment adherence through strategies such as self-monitoring. These findings indicate that satisfactory treatment adherence and consequent weight loss and maintenance are achieved in the presence of high levels of engagement with a mobile health app. The research quality assessment of RCTs reveals a great need for following international standards both when conducting and reporting research.
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“Despite the profusion of diet- and weight-related apps, and the interest in weight loss in the community, there remains a dearth of high-quality evidence that these apps are actually effective (Dounavi 2019).”
From 2021 ISHNE/HRS/EHRA/APHRS Expert Collaborative Statement on mHealth in Arrhythmia Management: Digital Medical Tools for Heart Rhythm Professionals: From the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology/Heart Rhythm Society/European Heart Rhythm Association/Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (2021) · cites this paper as Dounavi 2019
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“Some unresolved data-related technical issues prohibit further uptake of digital health, including data security issues and data ownership issues.”
From Digital health interventions for non-communicable disease management in primary health care in low-and middle-income countries (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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“Incorporating users’ feedback on acceptability and satisfaction is a facilitator, and lack of that could be a barrier and is currently under-addressed.”
From Digital health interventions for non-communicable disease management in primary health care in low-and middle-income countries (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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“Lack of guidance for patients is subject to low acceptance and waning interests in using digital health over time.”
From Digital health interventions for non-communicable disease management in primary health care in low-and middle-income countries (2023) · cites this paper as [33]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Dounavi, K., & Tsoumani, O.
- Affiliations
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Dounavi, Katerina
- ORCID
- Dounavi, Katerina
- Venue
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-06
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 894-903
- ISSN
- 0749-3797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2904299939
- Cited by
- 154
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 3.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- American Journal of Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (acceptedVersion, public-domain)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Mobile Learning in Education
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- mobile health apps, weight management, weight loss, weight maintenance, healthy eating, physical activity, self-monitoring, medication adherence, user engagement, chronic disease prevention
- MeSH terms
- Diet, Healthy, Body Weight, Clinical Trials as Topic, Humans, Patient Compliance, Weight Loss, Health Behavior, Exercise, Body Mass Index, Weight Reduction Programs, Mobile Applications
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