Plain language summary
A wide range of chronic diseases could be prevented through healthier lifestyle choices, such as consuming five portions of fruits and vegetables daily, but most adults don’t meet this recommendation. Health-related mobile phone applications (Apps) are growing in popularity and can guide users through various lifestyle changes. This systematised review aimed to assess the potential of Apps to increase fruit and vegetable intake. The authors looked at eight previous randomised controlled trials evaluating Apps for their ability to increase fruit and/or vegetable intake over a period of between two and nine months. Apps used in the trials included MyFitnessPal, LoseIt! CalorieMama and FatSecret, amongst others. In six of the studies, the Apps were effective in increasing fruit and/or vegetable intake by at least 2.4 portions per day. These studies focused on overweight adults and adults or young adults with unhealthy lifestyles, and age did not seem to affect the outcome. Apps seemed to be more effective in people with health problems, compared to people who were otherwise healthy. Apps that targeted children via their parents were not effective. The authors concluded that using health-related Apps can be a useful way to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in adults. Further research is needed into which features of Apps are most effective and to determine their success over the long term.
Abstract
A wide range of chronic diseases could be prevented through healthy lifestyle choices, such as consuming five portions of fruits and vegetables daily, although the majority of the adult population does not meet this recommendation. The use of mobile phone applications for health purposes has greatly increased; these applications guide users in real time through various phases of behavioural change. This review aimed to assess the potential of self-monitoring mobile phone health (mHealth) applications to increase fruit and vegetable intake. PubMed and Web of Science were used to conduct this systematized review, and the inclusion criteria were: randomized controlled trials evaluating mobile phone applications focused on increasing fruit and/or vegetable intake as a primary or secondary outcome performed from 2008 to 2018. Eight studies were included in the final assessment. The interventions described in six of these studies were effective in increasing fruit and/or vegetable intake. Targeting stratified populations and using long-lasting interventions were identified as key aspects that could influence the effectiveness of these interventions. In conclusion, evidence shows the effectiveness of mHealth application interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Further research is needed to design effective interventions and to determine their efficacy over the long term.
Methodological quality
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