SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2026
Digital health interventions for promoting adults lifestyle behaviors: who is being left behind? An evidence synthesis of social inequality.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Lifestyle, Sleep, and Psychological Correlates of Social Participation Across Mediterranean and Neighbouring Countries: Findings from the MEDIET4ALL Survey.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDigital health interventions have gained increasing prominence worldwide and demonstrate substantial potential for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. However, accumulating evidence suggests that not all population groups benefit equally from these interventions, raising concerns about persistent social inequalities in access, engagement, and outcomes.
methodsThis study conducted an umbrella review to systematically synthesize evidence from review-level studies that examined social inequality indicators in digital health interventions targeting lifestyle behaviors among adults. Comprehensive searches were performed across seven electronic databases, identifying 41 eligible reviews published between January 2000 and June 2025. Data were extracted on targeted behavioral domains, intervention outcomes, and reported social inequality indicators.
resultsThe included reviews primarily focused on interventions targeting physical activity and diet, followed by sedentary behavior and sleep, with behavioral outcomes serving as the main evaluation metrics. Among social inequality indicators, age, gender, and place of residence were most frequently reported. In contrast, indicators such as income, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, digital health literacy, and employment were substantially underrepresented. This uneven distribution indicates significant gaps in the current evidence base and suggests that the differential effects of digital health interventions across social groups may be underestimated or overlooked.
conclusionsCurrent review-level evidence on digital health interventions insufficiently captures the full spectrum of social inequalities shaping intervention access, engagement, and benefits. To support more equitable and inclusive health promotion strategies, future research should systematically incorporate a broader range of social inequality indicators and conduct in-depth analyses of the mechanisms underlying unequal intervention effects across diverse demographic and socioeconomic groups.
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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.