ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2016
Diet and Physical Activity Apps: Perceived Effectiveness by App Users.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Can Smartphone Apps Increase Physical Activity? Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- The use of social media in nutrition interventions for adolescents and young adults-A systematic review.International journal of medical informatics · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Short-Term Effectiveness of a Mobile Phone App for Increasing Physical Activity and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Primary Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial (EVIDENT II Study).Journal of medical Internet research · 2016Trial
- Young adults' perceptions of food classification criteria and barriers to healthy eating: a qualitative inquiry from eight Indian metropolises.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Encouraging General Practitioners to Refer Patients With Insomnia to a Digital Therapeutic (Sleepio): Feasibility Repeated-Measures Intervention Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Article
- Physical activity promotion through digital technology among older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A scoping review.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2024Article
- The Influence of Incentive-Based Mobile Fitness Apps on Users' Continuance Intention With Gender Moderation Effects: Quantitative and Qualitative Study.JMIR human factors · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of an Artificial Intelligence-Assisted App for Improving Eating Behaviors: Mixed Methods Evaluation.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- The feasibility of Technology, Application, Self-Management for Kidney (TASK) intervention in post-kidney transplant recipients using a pre/posttest design.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2023Article
- The Efficacy of an mHealth App in Facilitating Weight Loss Among Japanese Fitness Center Members: Regression Analysis Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Incorporating Consumers' Needs in Nutrition Apps to Promote and Maintain Use: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Article
- Ki-Cook: clustering multimodal cooking representations through knowledge-infused learning.Frontiers in big data · 2023Article
- A Comparative Utility Score for Digital Health Tools.Journal of medical systems · 2022Article
- Designing and Evaluating a Personalized, Human-Centered Dietary Decision Support System for Use Among People With Diabetes in an Indian Setting: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Study.JMIR research protocols · 2022Article
- Article
- Barriers to and Facilitators for Using Nutrition Apps: Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Article
- Diet-Related Mobile Apps to Promote Healthy Eating and Proper Nutrition: A Content Analysis and Quality Assessment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDiet and physical activity apps are two types of health apps that aim to promote healthy eating and energy expenditure through monitoring of dietary intake and physical activity. No clear evidence showing the effectiveness of using these apps to promote healthy eating and physical activity has been previously reported.
objectiveThis study aimed to identify how diet and physical activity (PA) apps affected their users. It also investigated if using apps was associated with changes in diet and PA.
methodsFirst, 3 semi-structured focus group discussions concerning app usability were conducted (15 app users and 8 nonusers; mean age 24.2 years, SD 6.4), including outcome measures such as motivations, experiences, opinions, and adherence. Results from the discussions were used to develop a questionnaire. The questionnaire, which contained questions about behavior changes, app usage, perceived effectiveness, and opinions of app usability, was answered by 500 Norwegians, with a mean age of 25.8 years (SD 5.1).
resultsApp users found diet and PA apps effective in promoting healthy eating and exercising. These apps affected their actions, health consciousness, and self-education about nutrition and PA; and were also a part of their social lives. Over half of the users perceived that apps were effective in assisting them to eat healthily and to exercise more. Diet apps were more effective when they were frequently used and over a long period of time, compared to infrequent or short-term use (P=.01 and P=.02, respectively). Users who used diet and PA apps, perceived apps as more effective than users who only used one type of app (all P<.05). App users were better at maintaining diet and PA behaviors than nonusers (all P<.05). Young adults found apps fun to use, but sometimes time consuming. They wanted apps to be designed to meet their personal expectations.
conclusionsApp usage influenced action, consciousness, self-education about nutrition and PA, and social life. It facilitated maintaining a healthy diet and exercising more. Diet and PA apps of the future can be further strengthened by being tailored to meet personal needs.
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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.