SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2015
Mobile Phone Apps to Promote Weight Loss and Increase Physical Activity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 263 papers, 30 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Study to Assess the Compliance and Impact on Weight of Kurbo, a Pediatric Centered Weight Loss App
Novel Uses of Technology for Individuals With Mild to Moderate Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis: The Technology, Exercise Programming, and Activity Prescription for Enhanced Mobility (TEAM) Study
Effectiveness and Feasibility of Self-Monitoring for Weight Management in Individuals With Mental Disorders Using Digital Intervention ("SWIM" Trial)
Who cites it
263 citing papers in PubMed, 30 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 617 citations in OpenAlex.
- Empowering Health Through Digital Lifelong Prevention: An Umbrella Review of Apps and Wearables for Nutritional Management.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Engagement With Conversational Agent-Enabled Interventions in Cardiometabolic Disease Self-Management: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Pooled it
- E-Health and M-Health in Obesity Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of RCTs.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- The Role of Mobile Apps in Obesity Management: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- The effectiveness of digital health intervention on glycemic control and physical activity in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Pooled it
- Conversational Agents for Body Weight Management: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Assessing the Pragmatic Nature of Mobile Health Interventions Promoting Physical Activity: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Pooled it
- Sustainability of Weight Loss Through Smartphone Apps: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on Anthropometric, Metabolic, and Dietary Outcomes.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Combining Nonmobile Interventions With the Use of Smartphone Apps With Various Features for Weight Loss: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- The Implementation of Behavior Change Techniques in mHealth Apps for Sleep: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- Promoting Physical Activity and Weight Loss With mHealth Interventions Among Workers: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of artificial intelligence chatbots for promoting physical activity, healthy diet, and weight loss.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Information and Communication Technology on Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Digital Interventions for Reducing Behavioral Risks of Cardiovascular Disease in Nonclinical Adult Populations: Systematic Review of Reviews.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- 2021 ISHNE/ HRS/ EHRA/ APHRS 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.Annals of noninvasive electrocardiology : the official journal of the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology, Inc · 2021Guideline
- Associations Between Digital Health Intervention Engagement, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Framework for the Design Engineering and Clinical Implementation and Evaluation of mHealth Apps for Sleep Disturbance: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Smartphone-Based Interventions on Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Pooled it
- How patient-generated health data and patient-reported outcomes affect patient-clinician relationships: A systematic review.Health informatics journal · 2020Pooled it
- Using Mobile Applications to Increase Physical Activity: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
203 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo our knowledge, no meta-analysis to date has assessed the efficacy of mobile phone apps to promote weight loss and increase physical activity.
objectiveTo perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to compare the efficacy of mobile phone apps compared with other approaches to promote weight loss and increase physical activity.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant studies identified by a search of PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus from their inception through to August 2015. Two members of the study team (EG-F, GF-M) independently screened studies for inclusion criteria and extracted data. We included all controlled studies that assessed a mobile phone app intervention with weight-related health measures (ie, body weight, body mass index, or waist circumference) or physical activity outcomes. Net change estimates comparing the intervention group with the control group were pooled across studies using random-effects models.
resultsWe included 12 articles in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, use of a mobile phone app was associated with significant changes in body weight (kg) and body mass index (kg/m(2)) of -1.04 kg (95% CI -1.75 to -0.34; I2 = 41%) and -0.43 kg/m(2) (95% CI -0.74 to -0.13; I2 = 50%), respectively. Moreover, a nonsignificant difference in physical activity was observed between the two groups (standardized mean difference 0.40, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.87; I2 = 93%). These findings were remarkably robust in the sensitivity analysis. No publication bias was shown.
conclusionsEvidence from this study shows that mobile phone app-based interventions may be useful tools for weight loss.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.