Mobile Health (mHealth) Technology for Eating-Related Behaviour and Health Problems Related to Obesity in Japan: a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND

Over the past decade, mobile health (mHealth) technologies have been increasingly utilised to address eating behaviours and diet-related chronic diseases. Nevertheless, research assessing the momentary clinical characteristics of these conditions remains limited in Japan. This study provides an up-to-date overview of research using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) technologies in Japanese clinical and non-clinical samples through a systematic review.

METHODS

We reviewed studies extracted from MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, spanning the period from 2004 to 2024. Our systematic review followed the "gold standard" Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Additionally, the Checklist for Reporting EMA Studies (CREMAS) was used to evaluate the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

From an initial pool of 32 potential articles, 4 studies met the inclusion criteria. A total of 75% of the studies were identified as using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) as the primary mHealth technology for EMA data collection.

CONCLUSION

Available evidence suggests that the use of a PDA-based approach may help improve the management of eating behaviour and monitoring diet-related chronic conditions in the Japanese population. Furthermore, integrating EMA into clinical practice could enhance the effectiveness of existing treatments and support ongoing health monitoring.