Table 2.
Characteristics of intervention types and description of apps.
| Author, year |
Outcome | Intervention type | Description of app | Control group treatment |
| Lee, 2010 [13] | Body weight, BMIa | Mobile phone app + usual care | Smart Diet app: provides a personalized diet profile; promotes knowledge about nutrition using a diet game | Not described |
| Turner-McGrievy, 2011 [14], 2013 [15] | BMI, physical activity | Mobile phone app + podcast + Twitter messages | Diet and physical activity-monitoring app (2010 version of FatSecret’s Calorie Counter app) | Podcast only |
| Kirwan, 2012 [16] | Physical activity | Mobile phone app + 10,000 steps program | Self-monitoring and self-reported physical activity levels (iStepLog) | 10,000 steps program |
| Carter, 2013 [17] | Body weight, BMI, physical activity | Mobile phone app | Self-monitoring with managed intervention delivered by (MMM) app | Self-monitoring by using a food diary + a calorie-counting book |
| Allen, 2013 [18] | Body weight, BMI, waist circumference | Mobile phone app + intensive counseling | Lose It! (weight-loss app) | Intensive counseling |
| Brindal, 2013 [19] | Body weight | Mobile phone app + Celebrity Slim program | Support app: My Meals + My Weight + My Task | Celebrity Slim program alone |
| Laing, 2014 [20] | Body weight | Mobile phone app + usual care | MyFitnessPal app | Counseling about activities to lose weight + one-page educational handout on healthy eating |
| Glynn, 2014 [21] | Body weight, BMI, step count | Mobile phone app + usual care | Accupedo-Pro Pedometer app | Physical activity goals and information on the benefits of exercise + Be active physical activity promotion brochure |
| Smith, 2014 [22] | BMI, waist circumference | Mobile phone app + parent newsletters, seminars, sport sessions, lunchtime physical activity-mentoring sessions, teachers attend two 6-h workshops, and one fitness instructor session | Physical activity monitoring, recording of fitness challenge results, tailored motivational messaging, goal setting for physical activity and screen time | Traditional intervention (ie, regularly scheduled school sports and physical education lessons) |
| Hebden, 2014 [23] | Body weight, BMI, MPAb, VPAc | Mobile phone app + SMSdtext messages + email messages + Internet forums + usual care | Four mobile phone apps per behavior | A 10-page printed booklet |
| Partridge, 2015 [24] | Body weight, BMI, MPA, VPA | Mobile phone app + SMS text messages + email messages + Internet forums + community blog + usual care | Mobile phone apps that provide education and allow self-monitoring | Control participants received a mailed two-page handout, four text messages, and access to a website |
aBMI: body mass index.
bMPA: moderate physical activity.
cVPA: vigorous physical activity.
dSMS: short message service.