Evidence mapPaperPMID 37759417Full record

SynthesisPsychological medicine2023

Digital health behaviour change interventions in severe mental illness: a systematic review.

Chelsea Sawyer, Grace McKeon, Lamiece Hassan, Henry Onyweaka, Luis Martinez Agulleiro, Daniel Guinart, John Torous, Joseph Firth

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Psychological medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
21citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

21 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry · 2026
    Guideline
  2. Pooled it
  3. Dietary E-Health Interventions for Adults With Severe Mental Illness: A Systematic Review.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025
    Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. EPA guidance on lifestyle interventions for adults with severe mental illness: A meta-review of the evidence.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2024
    Pooled it
  8. Trial
  9. The Efficacy of the SinHumo App Combined With a Psychological Treatment to Quit Smoking: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2025
    Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Review
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  16. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Chelsea SawyerDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2596-1580
Grace McKeonSchool of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW 2052, Australia.
Lamiece HassanDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
Henry OnyweakaDepartment of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Luis Martinez AgulleiroDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1444-8466
Daniel GuinartHospital del Mar Research Institute, Institut de Salut Mental, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
John TorousDepartment of Psychiatry, Institute for Behavioral Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA.
Joseph FirthDivision of Psychology and Mental Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-0618-2752

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/T021780/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The use of digital technologies as a method of delivering health behaviour change (HBC) interventions is rapidly increasing across the general population. However, the role in severe mental illness (SMI) remains overlooked. In this study, we aimed to systematically identify and evaluate all of the existing evidence around digital HBC interventions in people with an SMI. A systematic search of online electronic databases was conducted. Data on adherence, feasibility, and outcomes of studies on digital HBC interventions in SMI were extracted. Our combined search identified 2196 titles and abstracts, of which 1934 remained after removing duplicates. Full-text screening was performed for 107 articles, leaving 36 studies to be included. From these, 14 focused on physical activity and/or cardio-metabolic health, 19 focused on smoking cessation, and three concerned other health behaviours. The outcomes measured varied considerably across studies. Although over 90% of studies measuring behavioural changes reported positive changes in behaviour/attitudes, there were too few studies collecting data on mental health to determine effects on psychiatric outcomes. Digital HBC interventions are acceptable to people with an SMI, and could present a promising option for addressing behavioural health in these populations. Feedback indicated that additional human support may be useful for promoting adherence/engagement, and the content of such interventions may benefit from more tailoring to specific needs. While the literature does not yet allow for conclusions regarding efficacy for mental health, the available evidence to date does support their potential to change behaviour across various domains.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersSmoking CessationBehavioral SymptomsExerciseHumansdietdigital healthexerciseschizophreniasleepsmoking

Identifiers

PMID37759417
PMCPMC10719689

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.