The Impact of Social Media Interventions on Weight Reduction and Physical Activity Improvement Among Healthy Adults: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: A sedentary lifestyle and being overweight or obese are well-established cardiovascular risk factors and contribute substantially to the global burden of disease. Changing such behavior is complex and requires support. Social media interventions show promise in supporting health behavior change, but their impact is unclear. Moreover, previous reviews have reported contradictory evidence regarding the relationship between engagement with social media interventions and the efficacy of these interventions. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to critically synthesize available evidence regarding the impact of social media interventions on physical activity and weight among healthy adults. In addition, this review examined the effect of engagement with social media interventions on their efficacy. METHODS: CINAHL and MEDLINE were searched for relevant randomized trials that were conducted to investigate the impact of social media interventions on weight and physical activity and were published between 2011 and 2021 in the English language. Studies were included if the intervention used social media tools that provided explicit interactions between the participants. Studies were excluded if the intervention was passively delivered through an app website or if the participants had a known chronic disease. Eligible studies were appraised for quality and synthesized using narrative synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 17 papers reporting 16 studies from 4 countries, with 7372 participants, were identified. Overall, 56% (9/16) of studies explored the effect of social media interventions on physical activity; 38% (6/16) of studies investigated weight reduction; and 6% (1/16) of studies assessed the effect on both physical activity and weight reduction. Evidence of the effects of social media interventions on physical activity and weight loss was mixed across the included studies. There were no standard metrics for measuring engagement with social media, and the relationship between participant engagement with the intervention and subsequent behavior change was also mixed. Although 35% (6/16) of studies reported that engagement was not a predictor of behavior change, engagement with social media interventions was found to be related to behavior change in 29% (5/16) of studies. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the promise of social media interventions, evidence regarding their effectiveness is mixed. Further robust studies are needed to elucidate the components of social media interventions that lead to successful behavior change. Furthermore, the effect of engagement with social media interventions on behavior change needs to be clearly understood. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42022311430; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=311430.

Nurses' Use of mHealth Apps for Chronic Conditions: Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) is increasingly used to support public health practice, as it has positive benefits such as enhancing self-efficacy and facilitating chronic disease management. Yet, relatively few studies have explored the use of mHealth apps among nurses, despite their important role in caring for patients with and at risk of chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to explore nurses' use of mHealth apps to support adults with or at risk of chronic conditions and understand the factors that influence technology adoption. METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023. The survey was shared via social media and professional nursing organizations to Australian nurses caring for adults with or at risk of chronic conditions. RESULTS: A total of 158 responses were included in the analysis. More than two-thirds (n=108, 68.4%) of respondents reported that they personally used at least 1 mHealth app. Over half (n=83, 52.5% to n=108, 68.4%) reported they use mHealth apps at least a few times a month for clinical purposes. Logistic regression demonstrated that performance expectancy (P=.04), facilitating condition (P=.05), and personal use of mHealth apps (P=.05) were significantly associated with mHealth app recommendation. In contrast, effort expectancy (P=.09) and social influence (P=.46) did not have a significant influence on whether respondents recommended mHealth apps to patients. The inability to identify the quality of mHealth apps and the lack of access to mobile devices or internet were the most common barriers to mHealth app recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: While nurses use mHealth apps personally, there is potential to increase their clinical application. Given the challenges reported in appraising and assessing mHealth apps, app regulation and upskilling nurses will help to integrate mHealth apps into usual patient care.

Solutions to address low response rates in online surveys.

Online surveys are increasingly popular in research given their cost-effectiveness and potential reach. However, low response rates remain a key contributor to bias and the overall quality of results. Having a well-designed survey, providing financial remunerations, sending personalized invitations, offering regular reminders, and using more than one recruitment strategy are evidence-based approaches to improve response rates. Given the potential for illegitimate responses to online surveys, approaches that minimize illegitimate participation are discussed.

The effect of short message system (SMS) reminder on adherence to a healthy diet, medication, and cessation of smoking among adult patients with cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular Disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Non-adherence to a recommended regimen among patients with Cardiovascular Diseases represents a significant problem which could lead to an increase in Cardiovascular Diseases. PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the effects of Short Message System (SMS) reminders on adherence to a healthy diet, medication, and cessation of smoking among adult patients with Cardiovascular Diseases. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial design with three groups was used for this study. A non-probability convenient sample of 160 patients was recruited in this study. The participants were assigned randomly to an experimental group (received SMS regarding adherence to a healthy diet, medication, and smoking cessation), placebo group (received general messages) and control group (routine care). Morisky 8-Item Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS), Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), and Readiness to Quit Ladder, were used to assess patients' adherence to medication, adherence to Mediterranean diet, and smoking cessation, respectively. The outcomes were assessed at the beginning of the study and three months later, following completion of the intervention. RESULT: One way ANONVA was used to assess the study hypothesis. Significant differences between study groups found in terms of adherence to medication (p=.001) and adherence to a healthy diet (p=.000); however, no significant difference was found between groups, in terms of intention to quit smoking, and/or the number of cigarettes smoked (p= .327), (p=.34), respectively. CONCLUSION: It is documented that SMS is effective in improving adherence to a healthy diet and medication. SMS could be a promising solution for management of different chronic diseases. IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY: It is recommended to apply Short Message System (SMS) via cellphone services to improve patient's adherence to a healthy diet and medication. However, further research is needed to support the effectiveness of SMS.