The Effectiveness of Instant Messaging-Based Interventions on Health Behavior Change: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Tianxue Hou, Mu-Hsing Ho, Huangqianyu Li and 1 others
PMID 40717021WHAT IT FOUND
Messaging-based interventions improved physical activity, sleep, and smoking cessation across 57 trials with 19,365 participants, but not sedentary time or overall diet.
Effects varied widely across studies.
Key findings
01Physical activity had a significant pooled difference across seven studies (standardized mean difference 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.21 to 0.83), while sedentary behavior did not (standardized mean difference 0.25, 95% confidence interval -0.24 to 0.74).
02Sleep quality had a significant pooled difference (standardized mean difference -0.93, 95% confidence interval -1.44 to -0.42), and smoking cessation had a significant pooled odds ratio of 1.88 (95% confidence interval 1.28 to 2.70).
03Overall diet or nutrition had a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.01 (95% confidence interval -0.31 to 0.34), while energy intake had a significant subgroup difference (standardized mean difference 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.01 to 1.27).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The supplied text reports pooled results for physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, diet, and smoking cessation, but does not describe results for cancer screening or alcohol consumption. Most included trials were conducted in China, so findings may not generalize to other populations. Many outcome measures were self-reported, which can overstate behavior change. Most studies had some concerns about bias, especially deviations from the intended intervention and selection of reported results. Effects varied widely across studies, and removing three influential smoking-cessation studies changed the pooled estimate. Only English-language articles were included, so relevant trials in other languages may be missing. Long-term sustainability of behavior change was not established.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that generic texting improves health behavior. The significant pooled differences were for physical activity, sleep, and smoking cessation, while sedentary behavior did not show a significant difference and overall diet had a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.01. Long-term sustainability was not shown.