Swipe up! Health apps deliver tons of real results

In a new study in npj Digital MedicineResearchers combined data from 206,873 people across 47 studies and found that digital health tools – such as mobile apps, websites and text messaging – can significantly improve health and well-being by keeping you active, increasing the number of steps you take and improving your diet and sleep.

In particular, electronic and mobile health interventions can help people achieve:

• 1,329 steps more / day
• 55 minutes more moderate to intense exercise per week
• 45 minutes more physical activity in total / week
• seven hours less sitting / week
• 103 fewer calories consumed / day
• 20% more fruit and vegetables consumed per day
• 5.5 grams less saturated fat consumed per day
• 1.9 kilograms weight loss in 12 weeks
• Improved sleep quality
• Less severe insomnia.

With the global economic burden of chronic diseases estimated to exceed $47 trillion by 2023, there is a great need for effective interventions. According to the World Health Organization, one in eight people today is obese, 422 million people have diabetes, and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Lead researcher Dr Ben Singh of UniSA says people’s health behaviours need to change if we want to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases.

“Given the rise in preventable chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, it is important to find mechanisms that can help reduce people’s risk,” says Dr. Singh.

“Our study found that digital and mobile health interventions can have a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing. Not only do they help them increase their physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior, but they also improve their diet and sleep quality.

“Given the wide availability and popularity of health apps, their ability to tailor information and provide timely reminders and alerts, and their scalability to different populations, they could be a very effective intervention in promoting better health.

“Making positive changes to your health and wellbeing can be challenging. It’s always easier to put on a few extra pounds than to lose them. But by incorporating digital tools into your daily routine, you’re more likely to see positive results.”

The study found consistent results across different age groups, health behaviors, interventions, and health populations, suggesting that digital health apps could help support broader public health campaigns. While the researchers recommend further research to better understand the impact on specific groups of people, the bottom line is that digital health apps seem to be a win-win for everyone.