Recommending commercially available mHealth applications during health guidance significantly increased the proportion of application users at 3 months compared to standard guidance (68.4% vs 40.0%).
RCT (n=156)
open-label
randomized
Yes
Does recommending commercially available mHealth applications increase their usage and improve cardiovascular risk factors in individuals participating in a health guidance program?
Recommending mHealth applications based on individual goals during health guidance significantly increases their usage and may improve lipid profiles such as triglyceride levels.
Absolute Event Rate: 68.4% vs 40%
OBJECTIVES: Use of commercially available mobile health (mHealth) applications in supporting lifestyle improvements has become popular in recent years. However, the effectiveness of advice promoting the use of such applications based on individual behavioral goals in a health guidance setting remains unclear. This study explored how guiding participants of the Specific Health Guidance (SHG) program, a Japanese public health initiative to prevent cardiovascular disease, to use commercially available mHealth applications impacted their application usage, lifestyle habits, and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, open-label, parallel-group comparison study, 156 individuals with a history of SHG participation and who were engaged in the Motivational Health Guidance program (a type of SHG) in 2021 were assigned to intervention (n = 76) or control (n = 80) groups. Whereas both groups received standard guidance, the intervention group also received recommendations for mHealth applications based on their individual behavioral goals. The participants' application usage, behavioral changes, and body weight were assessed after 3 months, with health checkup data evaluated after 1 year. RESULTS: The proportion of mHealth application users after 3 months was significantly higher in the intervention group (68.4%) than in the control group (40.0%). The intervention group also reported a significantly greater weekly frequency of mHealth application usage. Moreover, the intervention group reported a significantly decreased change in triglyceride levels after 1 year compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Recommending commercially available mHealth applications in a health guidance setting significantly increased the number of mHealth application users and their frequency of use.
Onoue et al. (Wed,) conducted a rct in Cardiovascular disease risk (n=156). Recommendations for mHealth applications vs. Standard guidance was evaluated on Proportion of mHealth application users after 3 months. Recommending commercially available mHealth applications during health guidance significantly increased the proportion of application users at 3 months compared to standard guidance (68.4% vs 40.0%).
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