SynthesisBMC public health2016
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of mHealth interventions against non-communicable diseases in developing countries.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03376607 (Community- and mHealth-Based Integrated Management of Diabetes in Primary Healthcare in Rwanda), which is not on this map. Cited by 61 papers, 8 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.
Community- and mHealth-Based Integrated Management of Diabetes in Primary Healthcare in Rwanda: The D²Rwanda Study
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 120 citations in OpenAlex.
- The prevalence of all stype of diabetes and pre‑diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean countries: a meta‑analysis study.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Use of technology to prevent, detect, manage and control hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Clinical and patient-centered implementation outcomes of mHealth interventions for type 2 diabetes in low-and-middle income countries: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Community Health Center Based Interventions for People with Diabetes.Journal of community health · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Self-management of diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2018Pooled it
- The effectiveness of e-& mHealth interventions to promote physical activity and healthy diets in developing countries: A systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2016Pooled it
- Promotion of Physical Activity Among University Students With Social Media Or Text Messaging: A Systematic Review.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- Facilitators and Barriers to Chronic Disease Self-Management and Mobile Health Interventions for People Living With Diabetes and Hypertension in Cambodia: Qualitative Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2020Trial
- Improving Linkage to and Retention in Care in Newly Diagnosed HIV-Positive Patients Using Smartphones in South Africa: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2019Trial
- The Effect of Text Message-Based mHealth Interventions on Physical Activity and Weight Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.American journal of lifestyle medicine · 2026Review
- Role of telemedicine in cardiovascular care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2026Review
- Sitting still while the world gets sicker: Rethinking physical inactivity as a public health emergency.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
- PICO-based assessment and categorization of evidence for digital health interventions: an inductive framework development.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Digital engagement and physical activity patterns across Chinese populations: a secondary analysis of national survey data.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Trends in mobile phone ownership, frequency of number changes, and implications for public health service delivery in Uganda, 2010-2020.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Association between depression and medication adherence in noncommunicable diseases: a narrative review.Korean journal of family medicine · 2025Article
- "Your Life, Your Health: Tips and Information for Health and Well-Being": Development of a World Health Organization Digital Resource to Support Universal Access to Trustworthy Health Information.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Participatory methods in designing digital health interventions for informal caregivers of people with dementia. A systematic review.Internet interventions · 2025Article
- Methodological Challenges in Randomized Controlled Trials of mHealth Interventions: Cross-Sectional Survey Study and Consensus-Based Recommendations.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
1 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
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe reasons of deaths in developing countries are shifting from communicable diseases towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs). At the same time the number of health care interventions using mobile phones (mHealth interventions) is growing rapidly. We review studies assessing the health-related impacts of mHealth on NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs).
methodsA systematic literature search of three major databases was performed in order to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mHealth interventions. Identified studies were reviewed concerning key characteristics of the trial and the intervention; and the relationship between intervention characteristics and outcomes was qualitatively assessed.
resultsThe search algorithms retrieved 994 titles. 8 RCTs were included in the review, including a total of 4375 participants. Trials took place mostly in urban areas, tested different interventions (ranging from health promotion over appointment reminders and medication adjustments to clinical decision support systems), and included patients with different diseases (diabetes, asthma, hypertension). Except for one study all showed rather positive effects of mHealth interventions on reported outcome measures. Furthermore, our results suggest that particular types of mHealth interventions that were found to have positive effects on patients with communicable diseases and for improving maternal care are likely to be effective also for NCDs.
conclusionsDespite rather positive results of included RCTs, a firm conclusion about the effectiveness of mHealth interventions against NCDs is not yet possible because of the limited number of studies, the heterogeneity of evaluated mHealth interventions and the wide variety of reported outcome measures. More research is needed to better understand the specific effects of different types of mHealth interventions on different types of patients with NCDs in LaMICs.
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.