Efficacy of Mobile Health for Self-management of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Theory-Guided Systematic Review.
Sabianca Delva, Kyra J Waligora Mendez, Mia Cajita and 6 others
PMID 32040072WHAT IT FOUND
Mobile health tools for heart and diabetes risks showed mixed results.
Some studies lowered blood sugar and blood pressure, while others found no difference from usual care. Engagement often dropped over time, and effects varied by the specific condition and tool used.
Key findings
01Five of eleven studies reported significantly effective interventions for reducing HbA1c, with differences ranging from 0.43% to 1.92%.
02Of nine studies measuring hypertension, four reported no change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure across treatment groups.
03Engagement with mobile health interventions decreased over time for all randomized controlled trials, especially those with longer duration and follow-up periods.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review could not perform meta-analyses due to clinical and methodological heterogeneity among the included studies. Only studies conducted in the United States were included, limiting generalizability to other healthcare systems. Risk of bias was unclear in many studies, and the number of eligible records was insufficient to reliably estimate how bias changed over time. Most studies did not report outcome differences between racial and ethnic groups, despite the focus on vulnerable populations.
Declared interests
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Extramural funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that mobile health interventions reliably improve cardiometabolic outcomes. The review found mixed results, with many studies showing no significant difference from usual care for blood pressure and medication adherence, and engagement often dropped over time.