Seid Awole, Fufa Desta Dugassa, Bitew Zebenay Workneh
Department of Adult Health Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Center for Food Science and Nutrition, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Front Digit Health. 2024 Jan 12;6:1282570. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2024.1282570. eCollection 2024.
Digital tools, such as mobile apps and the Internet, are being increasingly used to promote healthy eating habits. However, there has been inconsistent reporting on the effectiveness of smartphones and web-based apps in influencing dietary behaviors. Moreover, previous reviews have been limited in scope, either by focusing on a specific population group or by being outdated. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to investigate the impacts of smartphone- and web-based dietary interventions on promoting healthy eating behaviors worldwide.
A systematic literature search of randomized controlled trials was conducted using databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Global Health, Informit, Web of Science, and CINAHL (EBSCO). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to prepare the entire document. EndNote (version 20) was used for reference management. The risk of bias in the articles was assessed using the "Revised Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0)" by the Cochrane Collaboration. Narrative synthesis, using text and tables, was used to present the results. The study was registered in PROSPERO under protocol number CRD42023464315.
This review analyzed a total of 39 articles, which consisted of 25 smartphone-based apps and 14 web-based apps. The studies involved a total of 14,966 participants. Out of the 25 studies, 13 (52%) showed that offline-capable smartphone apps are successful in promoting healthier eating habits. The impact of smartphone apps on healthy adults has been inconsistently reported. However, studies have shown their effectiveness in chronically ill patients. Likewise, internet-based mobile apps, such as social media or nutrition-specific apps, have been found to effectively promote healthy eating behaviors. These findings were consistent across 14 studies, which included healthy adults, overweight or obese adults, chronically ill patients, and pregnant mothers.
Overall, the findings suggest that smartphone apps contribute to improving healthy eating behaviors. Both nutrition-specific and social media-based mobile apps consistently prove effective in promoting long-term healthy eating habits. Therefore, policymakers in the food system should consider harnessing the potential of internet-based mobile apps and social media platforms to foster sustainable healthy eating behaviors.
诸如移动应用程序和互联网等数字工具正越来越多地被用于促进健康的饮食习惯。然而，关于智能手机和基于网络的应用程序对饮食行为影响的有效性报告并不一致。此外，以往的综述在范围上存在局限性，要么聚焦于特定人群，要么已经过时。因此，本综述的目的是调查基于智能手机和网络的饮食干预措施对全球促进健康饮食行为的影响。
使用谷歌学术、PubMed、全球健康、Informit、科学网和CINAHL（EBSCO）等数据库对随机对照试验进行系统的文献检索。遵循系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南来编写整个文档。使用EndNote（第20版）进行参考文献管理。文章中的偏倚风险由Cochrane协作网使用“随机试验的修订Cochrane偏倚风险工具（RoB 2.0）”进行评估。使用文本和表格进行叙述性综合以呈现结果。该研究已在PROSPERO注册，注册号为CRD42023464315。
本综述共分析了39篇文章，其中包括25个基于智能手机的应用程序和14个基于网络的应用程序。这些研究共涉及14966名参与者。在25项研究中，13项（52%）表明具备离线功能的智能手机应用程序在促进更健康的饮食习惯方面是成功的。关于智能手机应用程序对健康成年人的影响报告并不一致。然而，研究表明它们对慢性病患者有效。同样，基于互联网的移动应用程序，如社交媒体或特定营养应用程序，已被发现能有效促进健康饮食行为。在包括健康成年人、超重或肥胖成年人、慢性病患者和孕妇在内的14项研究中，这些发现是一致的。
总体而言，研究结果表明智能手机应用程序有助于改善健康饮食行为。特定营养和基于社交媒体的移动应用程序在促进长期健康饮食习惯方面一直被证明是有效的。因此，食品系统的政策制定者应考虑利用基于互联网的移动应用程序和社交媒体平台的潜力，以促进可持续的健康饮食行为。
