Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39554952›Full record

ReviewAmerican journal of lifestyle medicine2026

The Effect of Text Message-Based mHealth Interventions on Physical Activity and Weight Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aminah Emeran, Robyn Burrows, Josh Loyson, Muhammed Rizaan Behardien, Lauren Wiemers, Estelle Lambert

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in American journal of lifestyle medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Aminah EmeranUCT Research Centre for Health Through Physical Activity Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (AE, EL, RB, MRB, LW).ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2217-6608
Robyn BurrowsUCT Research Centre for Health Through Physical Activity Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (AE, EL, RB, MRB, LW).
Josh LoysonDepartment of Radiation Medicine, Division of Radiobiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (JL).
Muhammed Rizaan BehardienUCT Research Centre for Health Through Physical Activity Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (AE, EL, RB, MRB, LW).
Lauren WiemersUCT Research Centre for Health Through Physical Activity Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (AE, EL, RB, MRB, LW).
Estelle LambertUCT Research Centre for Health Through Physical Activity Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS), Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (AE, EL, RB, MRB, LW).

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Physical inactivity and obesity are detrimental to one's overall health, as they increase the risk of developing non-communicable diseases. Fortunately, physical inactivity and obesity can be improved by supporting lifestyle behavior changes. This support may be provided remotely by Mobile Health (mHealth) messaging interventions, which involve using mobile messages for health improvement. This study aimed to determine the effect of mHealth interventions using unidirectional text messaging/instant messaging on physical activity and weight-related outcomes in adult populations. An electronic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, for pre-post interventions using unidirectional messaging for physical activity/weight loss. A total of 43 articles were included in the review. Most studies used non-tailored text messages, were RCTs, and were performed on clinical populations in high income countries. Meta-analysis showed that messages had minimal effects on physical activity (d+: .14, 95% CI: .05 to .23,

Indexed as

behavior changee-Healthmobile healthnon-communicable diseases

Identifiers

PMID39554952
PMCPMC11562155

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.