Khan Muhammad K, Liaqat Ambreen, Altokhais Ziyad A, Alotaibi Bader A, Sadiq Maryam, Rehman Munazza, Allana Zeeshan Ahsan, Tahir Hasan N
Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Shaqra University, Shaqra, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Community Medicine, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Front Digit Health. 2025 Apr 10;7:1497680. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1497680. eCollection 2025.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examine the effectiveness of smartphone and Web 2.0 interventions for weight management compared to traditional control interventions. The potential of smartphones and Web 2.0. technologies to transform health care and clinical intervention in the community are tremendous. This potential is incredibly increased by increasing adoption rates for smartphones and internet technologies.
Ten randomized control trials published between 2015 and 2024 searched through PubMed and ScienceDirect were included. All studies with open access that assessed a smartphone or app intervention compared to a control group in randomized control trials, with weight-related body measures (i.e., body weight, BMI, waist circumference) and physical activity changes (steps/day) expressed in terms of mean and standard deviation performed in a population of adults were included. Review Manager software, version 5.4 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration) was used for statistical analysis.
The results of our study indicate that digital interventions, particularly those utilizing direct communication methods like text messages and social media, significantly promote weight loss and reduce waist circumference (mean difference of -2.12 and -2.81 for weight change and waist circumstances respectively). While reductions in body mass index (BMI) with mean difference of -0.53 were less pronounced, they still favored intervention groups. Subgroup analyses performed to find out the source of heterogeneity revealed that three-arm randomized control trials, studies with larger sample sizes, and interventions lasting around six months showed more consistent and significant effects whereas for sensitivity analysis no significant change in heterogeneity was observed for all parameters. High heterogeneity among studies suggests the need for standardized study designs and intervention protocols in future research.
Despite limitations such as technological issues and engagement variability, these findings underscore the potential of digital health interventions in addressing the global burden of obesity and related non-communicable diseases.
本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在探讨与传统对照干预措施相比，智能手机和Web 2.0干预措施在体重管理方面的有效性。智能手机和Web 2.0技术在改变社区医疗保健和临床干预方面的潜力巨大。智能手机和互联网技术采用率的不断提高极大地增强了这种潜力。
纳入了2015年至2024年间在PubMed和ScienceDirect上检索到的10项随机对照试验。所有在随机对照试验中评估智能手机或应用程序干预措施与对照组相比的开放获取研究，纳入了在成年人群中以均值和标准差表示的与体重相关的身体指标（即体重、BMI、腰围）和身体活动变化（每天步数）。使用Review Manager软件5.4版（北欧 Cochrane中心，Cochrane协作网）进行统计分析。
我们的研究结果表明，数字干预措施，特别是那些利用短信和社交媒体等直接沟通方式的措施，能显著促进体重减轻并减小腰围（体重变化和腰围的均值差异分别为-2.12和-2.81）。虽然体重指数（BMI）的降低不太明显，均值差异为-0.53，但仍有利于干预组。为找出异质性来源而进行的亚组分析表明，三臂随机对照试验、样本量较大的研究以及持续约六个月的干预措施显示出更一致且显著的效果，而敏感性分析未观察到所有参数的异质性有显著变化。研究之间的高度异质性表明未来研究需要标准化的研究设计和干预方案。
尽管存在技术问题和参与度差异等局限性，但这些发现强调了数字健康干预措施在应对全球肥胖及相关非传染性疾病负担方面的潜力。
