SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2023
Effects of Using Websites on Physical Activity and Diet Quality for Adults Living With Chronic Health Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Website Use and Associations With Behavior Change and Weight Loss in Cancer Survivors and Their Partners: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Can Survivors of Stroke Use a Co-Designed Website Aimed at Improving Physical Activity Levels and Diet Quality to Reduce the Risk of Recurrent Stroke? A Feasibility and Usability Study.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Perceived digital health information support and self-rated health among Chinese adults: physical activity mediation and chronic health condition moderation.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Systematic review of dynamically tailored eHealth interventions targeting physical activity and healthy diet in chronic disease.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Adapting a Telehealth Physical Activity and Diet Intervention to a Co-Designed Website for Self-Management After Stroke: Tutorial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdults with chronic health conditions need support to manage modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity and poor diet. Disease-specific websites with health information on physical activity and diet quality may be effective in supporting adults in managing their chronic illnesses.
objectiveThe primary aim of this review was to determine whether using websites with health information can lead to improvements in physical activity levels or diet quality in adults with chronic health conditions.
methodsRandomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of website use on levels of physical activity or diet quality in adults with chronic health conditions were included. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database were searched from the earliest available record until February 2023. Data for outcomes measuring physical activity levels; diet quality; and, where reported, self-efficacy and quality of life were independently extracted by 2 reviewers. The risk of bias was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale, and the overall certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Where values were presented as the same unit of measure, postintervention scores were pooled for meta-analysis to yield an overall mean difference (MD). A standardized MD (SMD) was calculated for the pooled data in which different units for the same outcome were used. Individual trial data were described in cases where the data of trials could not be pooled.
resultsA total of 29 trials (N=6418 participants) across 8 different disease groups with intervention periods ranging from 4 weeks to 12 months were included in the analysis. There was moderate-certainty evidence that using websites with health information increased levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MD=39 min/wk, 95% CI 18.60-58.47), quality of life (SMD=0.36, 95% CI 0.12-0.59), and self-efficacy (SMD=0.26, 95% CI 0.05-0.48) and high-certainty evidence for reduction in processed meat consumption (MD=1.1 portions/wk, 95% CI 0.70-1.58) when compared with usual care. No differences were detected in other measures of diet quality. There was no increased benefit for website users who were offered additional support.
conclusionsThe use of websites for risk factor management has the potential to improve physical activity levels, quality of life, and self-efficacy as well as reduce processed meat consumption for adults living with chronic health conditions when compared with usual care. However, it remains unclear whether using websites leads to meaningful and long-lasting behavior change.
trial registrationPROSPERO CRD42021283168; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=283168.
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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.