Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40396216›Full record

Observational studyJournal of medical Internet research2025

Effects of Mobile Health Care App "Asmile" on Physical Activity of 80,689 Users in Osaka Prefecture, Japan: Longitudinal Observational Study.

Asuka Oyama, Kenshiro Taguchi, Hiroe Seto, Reiko Kanaya, Jun'ichi Kotoku, Miyae Yamakawa, Hiroshi Toki, Ryohei Yamamoto

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

8 authors.

Asuka OyamaHealth and Counseling Center, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6584-5958
Kenshiro TaguchiHealth and Counseling Center, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0558-4500
Hiroe SetoHealth and Counseling Center, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2085-5310
Reiko KanayaDivision of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Osaka, Suita, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9620-0670
Jun'ichi KotokuHealth and Counseling Center, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5233-6003
Miyae YamakawaDivision of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Osaka, Suita, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2399-8366
Hiroshi TokiHealth and Counseling Center, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1332-8286
Ryohei YamamotoHealth and Counseling Center, The University of Osaka, Toyonaka, Japan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2610-9824

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLifestyle-related diseases can be controlled by improving individuals' lifestyles; however, improving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is difficult. Mobile health (mHealth) applications have recently attracted attention as tools for maintaining and improving health, and their use may also increase physical activity.

objectiveThis study aimed to verify the effect of registration in Asmile, an mHealth application provided by the Osaka Prefectural Government, on step counts using a Causal Impact approach based on the step count data recorded in the Asmile application.

methodsThis observational study included Osaka residents aged 20-79 years, newly registered to Asmile, between the fiscal years 2020 and 2023. Of these, 80,689 participants with step count records for 4 weeks before and after the day they registered to Asmile were included in the analysis. We used daily step counts that were automatically transferred from a standard smartphone health care app into Asmile. We used a Causal Impact model to estimate the increase in step count after registration to Asmile.

resultsOf the 80,689 participants analyzed, 38.5% (31,082/80,689) were men, and the mean age was 51.6 (SD 13.2) years. The mean step count before registration was 5923 (SD 4860) steps per day, with the highest proportion of new users registered in spring (38,389/80,689, 47.6%) and in fiscal year 2020 (34,491/80,689, 42.7%). The analysis revealed that the effect of Asmile registration on step counts was 360 steps (95% CI 331-389) per day and 10,041 steps (95% CI 9632-10,450) over 4 weeks. Stratified analysis showed that the impact of increased step count was more pronounced in younger groups and groups with fewer step counts before registration. Conversely, the effect of registration on step count was relatively minor in the groups registered in summer or winter.

conclusionsThis study demonstrates increased physical activity among users registered with the Asmile app. These findings suggest that mHealth apps such as Asmile can effectively promote healthier lifestyles and potentially reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases.

Indexed as

ExerciseMobile ApplicationsTelemedicineAdultAgedFemaleHumansJapanLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedYoung AdultappappsCausal ImpactCausal Inferenceexercisehealthy lifestyleJapanlifestyle-related diseasemHealthmobile healthmobile phoneobservational studyOsakaphysical activitysmartphonestep counts

Identifiers

PMID40396216
PMCPMC12138302

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.