SynthesisJMIR mHealth and uHealth2020
Effectiveness of Text Message Interventions for Weight Management in Adolescents: Systematic Review.
Synthesis in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 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
22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social media-based interventions for adults with obesity and overweight: a meta-analysis and meta-regression.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2023Pooled it
- Process evaluations of early childhood obesity prevention interventions delivered via telephone or text messages: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- The Aim2Be mHealth Intervention for Children With Overweight or Obesity and Their Parents: Person-Centered Analyses to Uncover Digital Phenotypes.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Trial
- Integrating digital health into pediatric obesity management: Current practices and future perspectives.Obesity pillars · 2025Review
- The Good Start Matters mHealth Parenting Program: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Can Mobile Health Applications, Social Media, and Telemedicine Assist with Obesity Treatment?Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Digital components and interaction types in counseling interventions for childhood and adolescent obesity: A systematic review.International journal of nursing sciences · 2025Review
- Comparing Large Language Model AI and Human-Generated Coaching Messages for Behavioral Weight Loss.Journal of technology in behavioral science · 2025Article
- Patients' use of mHealth in their obesity treatment: a Swedish descriptive observational study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Deceptively Simple yet Profoundly Impactful: Text Messaging Interventions to Support Health.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Review
- The Development of a Text Messaging Platform to Enhance a Youth Diabetes Prevention Program: Observational Process Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Digital behavioral dietary interventions to promote a healthy diet among children and adolescents: a scoping review of technologies, design, behavioral theory, and assessed outcomes.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2024Article
- Developing a text-message library for tobacco prevention among adolescents: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2024Article
- Technology-Based Obesity Prevention Interventions Among Hispanic Adolescents in the United States: Scoping Review.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2022Article
- A Pilot Study to Examine the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Virtual Adaptation of an In-Person Adolescent Diabetes Prevention Program.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Use of Focus Groups to Inform a New Community-Based Youth Diabetes Prevention Program.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Text Messages and Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity in Adolescents With Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Web-Based Group Interviews to Inform Intervention Design.JMIR diabetes · 2022Article
- Mobile Health and Telehealth Interventions to Increase Physical Activity in Adolescents with Obesity: a Promising Approach to Engaging a Hard-to-Reach Population.Current obesity reports · 2021Review
- Article
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 at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe incidence of obesity among adolescents is increasing. Text messages are a primary communication form for adolescents and potentially a scalable strategy for delivering population health interventions.
objectiveThis study aimed to determine the effectiveness of text message interventions in reducing BMI in adolescents and describe characteristics that are common to effective interventions.
methodsThis systematic review included randomized controlled trials of text message lifestyle interventions involving adolescents aged 10 to 19 years with outcomes focused on obesity prevention or management. Primary outcome was objective or self-report change in BMI.
resultsIn total, 4362 records were identified, and 215 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. A total of 8 unique studies were identified, including 767 participants, mean age 14.3 (SD 0.9) years, BMI 29.7 (SD 1.6) kg/m2 and 53.1% (407/767) female (31/101, 30.7%-172/172, 100.0%). All interventions were multicomponent. The median active intervention period was 4.5 months. During the active and extended intervention phases, text messages accounted for >50% (8 studies) and >85% (3 studies) of contact points, respectively. Text messages were heterogeneous, with a median of 1.5 text messages sent per week (range: 1-21). A total of 4 studies utilized two-way text message communication with health professionals Of the 8 studies, 7 demonstrated reductions in BMI or BMI z-score in the intervention group compared with the control at the end of the final follow-up. The effect was only statistically significant in 1 study at 6 months. Over 6 months, reductions in BMI (kg/m2) ranged from 1.3% to 4.5% and BMI z-score ranged from 4.2% to 28.1%. Overall quality of the studies was low.
conclusionsFurther research is required to elucidate the effectiveness and potential impact of text message interventions on weight and weight-related behaviors in adolescents.
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.