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Mobile technologies could help promote better CV behaviors
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Although more research is needed, mobile technologies can help people make choices that lead to behaviors that enhance CV health, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
“Our review of the evidence to date, even with its flaws and limitations, clearly demonstrates the great potential that mobile technologies can have to aid in lifestyle modification,” Lora E. Burke, PhD, MPH, FAHA, chair of the statement writing group, and colleagues wrote. “Thus, clinicians should not conclude that mobile technologies are generally unproven and thus can be ignored. The current absence of evidence should not be used as evidence of an absence of effectiveness. Instead, we need to embrace the challenge of producing this needed evidence on how effective these new technologies are and how we can best adopt them in our practice to promote better health.”
The statement covers mobile technologies for weight management, physical activity, smoking cessation, self-management of diabetes, promotion of BP control and dyslipidemia management.
Helpful for short-term weight loss
Evidence suggests that people who use mobile technology as part of a weight-loss program have more success with short-term weight loss than those who do not use mobile technology; however, there are no data for 12 months or longer, Burke and colleagues wrote.
Health practitioners should recommend programs that “include established evidence-based content and components of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention (ie, calorie-controlled healthy eating and increased physical activity with specified goals and behavioral strategies) and facilitate adoption of evidence-based weight-loss behaviors (eg, self-monitoring, personalized feedback, and social support from coaches or peers),” according to the statement.
Other research suggests that use of online programs are associated with greater physical activity, but there is a lack of evidence on whether wearable devices prompt people to become more active, the authors wrote.
Smoking cessation programs
Text-message programs to encourage smoking cessation have been shown to work approximately twice as well as control strategies, but approximately 90% of users are still smoking to some extent at 6 months. These programs “should be considered along with other efficacious smoking-cessation interventions for smokers trying to quit,” Burke and colleagues wrote.
Studies of mobile diabetes-management tools have been unable to tease out the effects of single technology components on HbA1c levels and generally do not report changes in antihyperglycemic medications during an intervention, without which it is difficult to determine why an intervention was successful, according to the statement.
While research on mobile interventions for BP control has generally yielded positive results, the data are almost entirely for 6 months or less and there is no evidence beyond 12 months, the authors wrote.
There is little evidence-based literature on mobile interventions for dyslipidemia management, which “is remarkable, considering the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the population,” they wrote.
“Self-monitoring is one of the core strategies for changing [CV] health behaviors,” Burke, professor of nursing and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a press release. “If a mobile health technology, such as a smartphone app or self-monitoring diet, weight or physical activity, is helping you improve your behavior, then stick with it.” – by Erik Swain
Disclosure: Burke reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full statement for a list of the other authors’ and reviewers’ relevant financial disclosures.
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