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Most of us have some sort of health app on our mobile phone or smartwatch, even if only a step-counter. There are apps to track everything from mood, fitness, sleep, diet and heart health to self-care habits. Some are free, like MyFitnessPal, while others, such as the weight loss app Noom, require a paid subscription.
But how useful are they? And do they actually result in us becoming any healthier? That is what researchers at the University of South Australia were interested in finding out. They crunched through all the available evidence, synthesising data from 206,873 people across 47 studies, and discovered that digital health tools – such as apps, websites and text messages – can significantly improve health and wellbeing.
“Some of the results were quite surprising,” says lead researcher Ben Singh. “Particularly with regard to physical activity. Even the simple act of tracking how many steps you’re doing is quite effective. It got people taking around 1300 extra steps a day. Steps are a simple measure. It’s easy to self-monitor and set goals, and it just involves walking; you don’t need any fancy equipment.”
The study found that digital health tools helped users achieve seven hours less sedentary behaviour per week and get 45 minutes more overall physical activity.
Diet was positively impacted, with 103 fewer calories consumed each day, 20% more fruits and vegetables eaten, and 5.5 grams less saturated fat.
Health apps that are designed to improve sleep also gave good results. People who used them tended to sleep for longer and report better sleep quality.
“We think just the fact that you’re monitoring your behaviour, prompts you to improve it and have better sleep hygiene habits, like going to bed and walking up at set times,” explains Singh.
There are numerous health apps out there, and some that are developed for research studies are never released for general use, so Singh can’t recommend any particular digital tool.
“But we found that there are two main elements that make apps engaging,” he says. “One is the social gamification element, where you compete with friends. The other thing we found, is that when people get on a streak – say they’ve met their exercise goal for six days in a row - they really don’t want to break it, so it gets quite addictive.”
Incentives can also work which is why some wellbeing apps offer airpoints or vouchers if targets are met.
“The apps that tended to be most effective were the ones where the goals weren’t overly complex, so a certain number of steps a day or eating a certain amount of fruit and vegetables,” says Singh. “Also, they need to be individualised, so it’s really important to spend the time finding an app that’s appropriate for you.”
With the rise of preventable chronic disease like obesity, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, Singh sees apps as an accessible and cost-effective public health intervention. He uses a step-counter each day.
“It’s quite effective at getting me to walk more. I’ll go out in my lunch break and get in a quick walk, maybe just five or 10 minutes, and throughout the day it adds up.”
Singh is now interested in the health benefits of apps that integrate AI features to offer a more personalised service.
“Chat bot technology is growing,” he says. “The benefit is that if you want advice about diet or exercise, it’s available 24/7, whereas a personal trainer or dietitian you can consult only during appointment hours.
“We want to examine how it can be used to improve people’s lifestyles and we’re currently planning a study where we’re looking at a chat bot specifically designed for individuals with cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes, to see how it can improve their diet and exercise.”
Now they have been integrated into our lives, health apps seem here to stay, says Singh.
“A lot of the research has been around diet and exercise but apps have the potential to help with other aspects of lifestyle, like alcohol consumption and smoking.”
