Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Obesity in adolescence is associated with many adverse health and well-being outcomes. Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of obesity; however, many adolescents with overweight and obesity are physically inactive. Digital behaviour change interventions (DBCI) are i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Digital Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314904 |
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| author | Puteri Shanaz Jahn Kassim Noor Azimah Muhammad Nur Faraheen Abdul Rahman Sherina Mohd Sidik Cecilia A. Essau Shamsul Azhar Shah |
| author_facet | Puteri Shanaz Jahn Kassim Noor Azimah Muhammad Nur Faraheen Abdul Rahman Sherina Mohd Sidik Cecilia A. Essau Shamsul Azhar Shah |
| author_sort | Puteri Shanaz Jahn Kassim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Obesity in adolescence is associated with many adverse health and well-being outcomes. Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of obesity; however, many adolescents with overweight and obesity are physically inactive. Digital behaviour change interventions (DBCI) are increasingly used to increase physical activity; however, there is insufficient evidence on their use in promoting physical activity among adolescents with overweight and obesity, including its active components. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of DBCIs in promoting physical activity among adolescents with overweight and obesity and to identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used in these interventions. Methods Seven electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies evaluating DBCIs for physical activity promotion in adolescents with overweight and obesity aged 10–19 years. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's Risk of Bias tool 2 and ROBINS-I tool. Meta-analyses were performed using random effects models. The BCTs used within the DBCIs were coded using the Behaviour Change Technique taxonomy (v1). Results Eighteen studies involving 1769 participants were included. DBCIs showed a large, significant positive effect on total physical activity (SMD = 1.61, 95% CI: [0.56, 2.66], p = 0.003), but non-significant effects on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (SMD = 0.16, 95% CI: [−0.39, 0.71], p = 0.56) and step count (SMD = −0.10, 95% CI: [−0.52, 0.32], p = 0.65). High heterogeneity was observed in total physical activity and MVPA analyses. The most frequently used BCTs were information about health consequences, goal setting, self-monitoring, feedback on behaviour and social support. Conclusion DBCIs can effectively promote overall physical activity among adolescents with overweight and obesity, although their impact on MVPA and step count remains unclear. Future research should focus on optimizing BCT combinations and improving long-term engagement while addressing intervention effect variability. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42021270008 |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ebfcbcab27214282927afc6c9bf952b2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2055-2076 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-ebfcbcab27214282927afc6c9bf952b22025-01-21T12:03:35ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762025-01-011110.1177/20552076251314904Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysisPuteri Shanaz Jahn Kassim0Noor Azimah Muhammad1Nur Faraheen Abdul Rahman2Sherina Mohd Sidik3Cecilia A. Essau4Shamsul Azhar Shah5 Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Department of Primary Health Care and Medical Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, , Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Psychological Wellbeing, , London, UK Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, , Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaBackground Obesity in adolescence is associated with many adverse health and well-being outcomes. Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of obesity; however, many adolescents with overweight and obesity are physically inactive. Digital behaviour change interventions (DBCI) are increasingly used to increase physical activity; however, there is insufficient evidence on their use in promoting physical activity among adolescents with overweight and obesity, including its active components. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of DBCIs in promoting physical activity among adolescents with overweight and obesity and to identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used in these interventions. Methods Seven electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies evaluating DBCIs for physical activity promotion in adolescents with overweight and obesity aged 10–19 years. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's Risk of Bias tool 2 and ROBINS-I tool. Meta-analyses were performed using random effects models. The BCTs used within the DBCIs were coded using the Behaviour Change Technique taxonomy (v1). Results Eighteen studies involving 1769 participants were included. DBCIs showed a large, significant positive effect on total physical activity (SMD = 1.61, 95% CI: [0.56, 2.66], p = 0.003), but non-significant effects on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (SMD = 0.16, 95% CI: [−0.39, 0.71], p = 0.56) and step count (SMD = −0.10, 95% CI: [−0.52, 0.32], p = 0.65). High heterogeneity was observed in total physical activity and MVPA analyses. The most frequently used BCTs were information about health consequences, goal setting, self-monitoring, feedback on behaviour and social support. Conclusion DBCIs can effectively promote overall physical activity among adolescents with overweight and obesity, although their impact on MVPA and step count remains unclear. Future research should focus on optimizing BCT combinations and improving long-term engagement while addressing intervention effect variability. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42021270008https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314904 |
| spellingShingle | Puteri Shanaz Jahn Kassim Noor Azimah Muhammad Nur Faraheen Abdul Rahman Sherina Mohd Sidik Cecilia A. Essau Shamsul Azhar Shah Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis Digital Health |
| title | Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full | Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_short | Effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_sort | effectiveness of digital behaviour change interventions for promoting physical activity in adolescents with overweight and obesity a systematic review and meta analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314904 |
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