Table 1 Study characteristics
First author (Year) | Study duration (months) | Geographic location | Population | Primary outcome(s) | Mobile electronic device used | Description of intervention | Description of control | Results | User feedback |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beasley (2008) [20] | 1 | United States | Overweight/obese adults. BMI = 25 to 40 kg/m2 | Change in mean weight (lbs.), change in waist circumference (inches), adherence to intervention | Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) | PDA based program DietMatePro. Used as an alternative to paper based records | Paper diary | Mean weight decrease of 3.5 (SD = 4.9) lbs in the EG compared to 2.9 (SD = 4.8) lbs in the CG. Waist circumference decreased by 1.0 (SD = 1.2) inch in the EG compared to 0.5 (SD = 1.5) inch in the CG. Adherence was higher among the EG (43%) compared to the CG (28%) | N/A |
Haapala (2009) [21] | 12 | Finland | Healthy overweight adults (18 to 59 years of age). BMI = 27 to 43 kg/m2 | Change in body weight (kg) and waist circumference (cm) | Text messaging (Mobile Phone) | Use of mobile phone-operated weight-loss program, Weight Balance®. Program based on sending of various daily text messages | No intervention. Offered the studies weight-loss program free of charge after the 12-month study | Mean weight decrease of 4.5 (SD = 5.0) kg in the EG compared to 1.1 (SD = 5.8) kg in the CG. Waist circumference decrease by 6.3 (SD = 5.3) cm in the EG compared to 2.4 (SD = 5.4) cm in the CG | At 12 months, participants gave the program a score of 7.8 (0.8) on a user satisfaction scale from 4 to 10. |
Patrick (2009) [22] | 4 | United States | Overweight adults (25 to 55 years of age). BMI = 25 to 39.9 kg/m2 | Weight change (kg) | SMS & MMS messages (Mobile Phone) | Personalized SMS and MMS messages sent 2 to 5 times daily, printed materials, and brief monthly phone calls from a health counselor | Participants given monthly printed materials about weight control | Mean weight decrease of 2.46 (SD = 3.68) kg in the EG compared to 0.47 (SD = 3.62) kg in the CG. | At the end of the study, 22 of 24 (92%) of intervention participants said they would recommend the intervention for weight control to family and friends |
Burke (2012) [23] | 24 | United States | Healthy overweight/obese adults (≤59 years of age). BMI = 27 to 43 kg/m2 | Percent weight change (kg) at 24 months, adherence to self-monitoring over time | PDA | PDA with DietMatePro© software for self-monitoring. | Paper Diary and Nutritional reference book | Mean weight decrease of 1.18 (SD = 8.78) kg in the EG compared to 1.77 (SD = 7.23) kg in the CG. Weight loss was greater for those who were more adherent | N/A |
Shapiro (2012) [25] | 12 | United States | Overweight adults (21 to 65 years of age). BMI ≥ 25 to 39.9 kg/m2 | Weight change (lbs), adherence to intervention and steps per day | Text messaging (Mobile Phone) | SMS and MMS messages sent 2 to 5 times daily and monthly e-newsletters | Monthly e-newsletter | Mean weight decrease of 3.64 (SD = 12.01) lbs in the EG compared to 2.27 (SD = 9.39) lbs in the CG. Text-messaging adherence was moderately strong (60 to 69%). Participants’ steps increased almost 3000 steps/day over time (p < 0.05) in the EG. | Participants completed a survey assessing the program overall and its individual components. Likert rating scales were used: (e.g., ‘Please rate the SMS portion in enjoyability’ or ‘How likely would you be to refer the intervention to a friend?’ 0 = not at all, 5 = somewhat, 10 = extremely) |
Carter (2013) [24] | 6 | United Kingdom | Overweight adults (18 to 65 years of age). BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2 | Weight change (kg), change in body fat and adherence to intervention | Smartphone app (Mobile Phone) | MMM smartphone app for weight loss to be used on an Android operating system | Paper Diary | Mean weight decrease of 4.6 (SD = 5.20) kg in the EG compared to 2.9 (SD = 5.85) kg in the CG. Change in body fat was 1.3% (95% CI = −1.7 to −0.8) in the EG and 0.9% (95% CI = −1.5 to −0.4) in the CG | N/A |