Summary: A new study reveals that digital health tools, such as apps, websites, and text messages, can significantly improve various aspects of health, including sleep quality, physical activity, and diet. The research, which synthesized data from over 200,000 people across 47 studies, found that these tools are effective in promoting better health behaviors and could play a crucial role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
Key Takeaways:
- Improved Sleep and Physical Activity: The study found that digital health tools can enhance sleep quality, reduce insomnia, increase daily steps, and boost overall physical activity, making them powerful tools for improving overall health.
- Dietary Benefits: Researchers say these digital interventions also led to healthier eating habits, including reduced calorie and saturated fat intake, and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, contributing to better weight management and nutrition.
- Potential for Public Health Impact: Given their accessibility, popularity, and ability to tailor information, digital health tools could be instrumental in broader public health campaigns aimed at preventing chronic diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Digital health tools—like mobile apps, websites, and text messages—can significantly improve health and well-being by improving sleep and diet, keeping you active, and boosting steps.
In a new study published in npj Digital Medicine, researchers at the University of South Australia synthesized data from 206,873 people across 47 studies, finding that digital health tools pack a real punch when it comes to getting results.
Specifically, electronic and mobile health interventions can help people achieve:
- Improved sleep quality
- Less severe insomnia
- 1,329 more steps per day
- 55 minutes more moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week
- 45 minutes more overall physical activity per week
- 7 hours less sedentary behavior per week
- 103 fewer calories consumed per day
- 20% more fruits and vegetables consumed per day
- 5 grams less saturated fat consumed per day
- 9 kilograms of weight loss over 12 weeks
Reducing the Burden of Chronic Disease
With the global economic burden of chronic diseases estimated to exceed US $47 trillion by 2023, effective interventions are in high demand. Lead researcher Ben Singh, PhD, says people’s health behaviors must change if we are to reduce the incidence of chronic disease.
“With the rise of preventable chronic diseases like obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, finding mechanisms that can help reduce people’s risk is important,” Singh says in a release. “Our study found that digital and mobile health interventions can have a positive effect on people’s health and well-being, not only helping them to increase their physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior but also improving their diet and quality of sleep.
“Given the wide accessibility and popularity of health apps, their capability to tailor information and deliver timely reminders and prompts, and scalability to diverse populations, they could be a very effective intervention to promote better health.”
The research identified consistent findings across different age groups, health behaviors, interventions, and health populations, indicating that digital health apps could help underpin broader public health campaigns. While researchers recommend further investigation to better understand impacts among specific groups of people, at top line, digital health apps appear to be a win-win for all.
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