Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40576235›Full record

SynthesisAnnals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine2025

Digital versus nondigital behavioral interventions on cardiovascular risk reduction: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Fentaw Tadese Berhe, Desalegn Markos Shifti, J Lennert Veerman, Leopold Aminde, Kedir Yimam Ahmed, Yonatan Moges Mesfin, Kelemu Tilahun Kibret, Habtamu Mellie Bizuayehu, Daniel Bekele Ketema, Daniel Bogale Odo and 9 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Inequalities in Exclusively Mobile Interventions Targeting Weight-Related Behaviors: Systematic Review of Observational Studies.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Exercise ModulatesInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
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

19 authors.

Fentaw Tadese BerheSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-9058-1854
Desalegn Markos ShiftiFaculty of Medicine, Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
J Lennert VeermanSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3206-8232
Leopold AmindeSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2787-7518
Kedir Yimam AhmedRural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3797-5234
Yonatan Moges MesfinImmunity and Global Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Kelemu Tilahun KibretGlobal Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Habtamu Mellie BizuayehuFirst Nations Cancer and Wellbeing Research Program, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Daniel Bekele KetemaThe George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Daniel Bogale OdoNational Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Subash ThapaRural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University, Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
Abel DadiMenzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
Sewunet Admasu BelachewFirst Nations Cancer and Wellbeing Research Program, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Meless Gebrie BoreSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Zemenu Yohannes KassaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Abdulbasit Musa SeidAustralian Living Evidence Collaborations, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melboune, Australia.
Tahir Ahmed HassenCentre for Women's Health Research, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
Erkihun AmsaluFaculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Teketo Kassaw TegegneInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9137-3632

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe aimed to assess whether digital behavioral interventions improve cardiovascular risk factors more effectively than nondigital behavioral interventions.

methodsWe searched 7 electronic databases from January 1, 1990, to April 4, 2024. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis to pool the effects of digital versus nondigital interventions on body composition, blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid concentrations. We also conducted subgroup analyses based on intervention duration, risk of bias, and intervention types. We reported outcomes as mean differences with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool.

resultsWe included 34 randomized controlled trials with 17 389 participants. The meta-analysis found no significant differences between digital and nondigital behavioral interventions for 11 cardiovascular risk factors. However, subgroup analyses showed that digital dietary interventions significantly reduced body weight (MD = -0.66, 95% CI [-1.26, -0.06]), body mass index-BMI (MD = -0.25, 95% CI [-0.43, -0.07]), and fasting blood glucose (MD = -0.31, 95% CI [-0.57, -0.05]) compared to nondigital interventions. Digital physical activity interventions lowered total cholesterol (MD = -3.55, 95% CI [-4.63, -2.46]) compared to nondigital interventions. Combined digital interventions (dietary, physical activity, and smoking cessation) significantly decreased BMI (MD = -0.20, 95% CI [-0.36, -0.04]) compared to nondigital interventions. No significant differences were found by risk of bias or intervention duration.

conclusionsDigital behavioral interventions are as effective as nondigital interventions in reducing cardiovascular risk factors, making both essential components of cardiovascular disease prevention and management.

Indexed as

Behavior TherapyCardiovascular DiseasesRisk Reduction BehaviorHeart Disease Risk FactorsHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as Topicbehavioral interventioncardiovascular diseasecardiovascular risk reductiondigital interventions

Identifiers

PMID40576235
PMCPMC12203340

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.