Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan/Feb;36(1):34-55.
doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000000659.

Efficacy of Mobile Health for Self-management of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Theory-Guided Systematic Review

Sabianca Delva, Kyra J Waligora Mendez, Mia Cajita, Binu Koirala, Rongzi Shan, Shannon Wongvibulsin, Valerie Vilarino, Danielle R Gilmore, Hae-Ra Han

Efficacy of Mobile Health for Self-management of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: A Theory-Guided Systematic Review

Sabianca Delva et al. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2021 Jan/Feb.

Abstract

Background: Although mobile health (mHealth) technologies are burgeoning in the research arena, there is a lack of mHealth interventions focused on improving self-management of individuals with cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs).

Objective: The purpose of this article was to critically and systematically review the efficacy of mHealth interventions for self-management of CMRF while evaluating quality, limitations, and issues with disparities using the technology acceptance model as a guiding framework.

Methods: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Lilacs were searched to identify research articles published between January 2008 and November 2018. Articles were included if they were published in English, included adults, were conducted in the United States, and used mHealth to promote self-care or self-management of CMRFs. A total of 28 articles were included in this review.

Results: Studies incorporating mHealth have been linked to positive outcomes in self-management of diabetes, physical activity, diet, and weight loss. Most mHealth interventions included modalities such as text messaging, mobile applications, and wearable technologies. There was a lack of studies that are (1) in resource-poor settings, (2) theoretically driven, (3) community-engaged research, (4) measuring digital/health literacy, (5) measuring and evaluating engagement, (6) measuring outcomes related to disease self-management, and (7) focused on vulnerable populations, especially immigrants.

Conclusion: There is still a lack of mHealth interventions created specifically for immigrant populations, especially within the Latino community-the largest growing minority group in the United States. In an effort to meet this challenge, more culturally tailored mHealth interventions are needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Technology acceptance model.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Diagram of article selection process with an explanation of search strategy up to October 2018. Four additional articles were identified via hand search in November 2018. Twenty-eight articles were included in the literature review.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Risk of bias for selected studies.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Risk of bias for published mHealth interventions has decreased for a period of 10 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Saydah S Bullard KM Cheng Y, et al. . Trends in cardiovascular disease risk factors by obesity level in adults in the United States, NHANES 1999–2010. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2014;22(8):1888–1895. doi:10.1002/oby.20761. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McQueen RB Ghushchyan V Olufade T, et al. . Incremental increases in economic burden parallels cardiometabolic risk factors in the US. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2016;9:233–241. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S106809. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mozaffarian D Benjamin EJ Go AS, et al. Writing Group Members . Heart disease and stroke statistics—2016 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2016;133(4):e38–e360. - PubMed
    1. Lewey J, Choudhry NK. The current state of ethnic and racial disparities in cardiovascular care: lessons from the past and opportunities for the future. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2014;16(10):530. - PubMed
    1. Pew Research Center Mobile Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech; 2017.

Publication types