SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2025
Evaluating Effectiveness of mHealth Apps for Older Adults With Diabetes: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 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
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Experiences and Acceptance of Community-Based Mobile Health Services Among People in Underserved Rural Areas of Korea: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- User-Centered Diabetes Self-Management App (DiabAid Nexus) in Sub-Saharan Africa: Development and Usability Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Personalised Approach to the Management of Older People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus-A Comprehensive Narrative Review.Journal of personalized medicine · 2026Review
- The Interplay Between Self-Determination and Cognitive Bias: Nonlinear Associations Between Myopia Control Knowledge Reserve and Parental Communication Preparedness.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Article
- Validation of a novel mHealth app to support foreign domestic workers in domiciliary eldercare.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Article
- The Role of Advanced Glycation End-Products in the Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe global population is aging rapidly, with projections indicating a doubling of older adults by 2050. Among the chronic conditions affecting this demographic, diabetes stands out due to its prevalence and impact on health. Mobile health (mHealth) app interventions show promise in improving health outcomes, leveraging the widespread adoption of smartphones among older adults.
objectiveThis meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth apps specifically tested for older adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. It addresses the gap in existing literature by focusing on this age group, aiming to provide insights into the benefits and challenges of these technologies.
methodsA meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted across major databases using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines to examine the effectiveness of mHealth apps for improving older adults' diabetes outcomes. Primary outcomes included changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA
resultsOverall, our results indicated that mHealth app interventions can be effective for managing blood glucose in older adult populations. The 7 RCTs that met the inclusion criteria involved a total of 490 participants. The meta-analysis revealed a significant reduction in HbA
conclusionsmHealth apps demonstrated effectiveness in improving glycemic control among older adults with diabetes, highlighting their potential as tools for health management in this demographic. Our effect sizes were comparable with other meta-analyses conducted across different aging groups, suggesting that diabetes mHealth apps can be as effective for older adults compared to younger cohorts. Some data suggests that the effectiveness of mHealth apps might decrease over trial time. These findings underscore the need for further research to refine these interventions and optimize their impact on older adults' health outcomes. We evaluated each RCT intervention and identified app components that could relate to the app's effectiveness to guide the design of future diabetes management RCTs and mHealth tools for older adults.
trial registrationOpen Science Framework 10.17605/OSF.IO/AWVCX; https://osf.io/awvcx.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.