Table 2.
Description of the study arms, app features, and theoretical frameworks (N=34).
| Study | Number of arms | Intervention description | Control description | App features | Commercial app | Theoretical framework of the app |
| Bender and Cooper, 2017 [32] | 2 | App+tracker+social support (Facebook)+behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Tracker+waitlist | Self-monitoring | —a | Social cognitive theory and transtheoretical model for health behavior change |
| Fukuoka et al, 2015 [33] | 2 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Tracker+behavior or advice (booklet) | Self-monitoring+education+feedback+gamification | — | — |
| Whitelock et al, 2019 [34] | 2 | App+behavior or advice (booklet+SMS text messages) | Behavior or advice (booklet+SMS text messages) | Self-monitoring+education+feedback+rewards | — | — |
| Vaz et al, 2018 [35] | 2 | App+tracker | Behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Self-monitoring+education+social support+rewards | — | — |
| Thompson-Felty and Johnston, 2017 [26] | 3 | All 3 arms included an app: arm 1: app; arm 2: app+feedback; arm 3: app | No control | Arm 1track pictures of foods; Arm 2: track picture of foods+feedback; arm3: track pictures of foods+education | — | — |
| Rogers et al, 2016 [36] | 3 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (telephone call+booklet) | One arm: tracker+behavior or advice (telephone call+ booklet)+web-based self-monitoring; second arm: behavior or advice (in-person meetings+booklet)+feedback (oral by coach)+paper-based self-monitoring | Self-monitoring | — | — |
| Svetkey et al, 2015 [29] | 3 | Arm 1: app+tracker; arm 2: app+tracker+social support (social buddy)+behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Behavior or advice (booklet) | Arm 1: self-monitoring+feedback+social support+gamification; arm 2: self-monitoring | — | Social cognitive theory and transtheoretical model |
| Thomas et al, 2019 [37] | 3 | App+behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (oral and written by coach) | Arm 1: behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (oral and written by coach)+self-monitoring (paper diaries); arm 2: behavior or advice (dietary advice)+feedback (oral or written by coach)+self-monitoring (paper diaries) | Self-monitoring+education+social support | MyFitnessPal | — |
| Brindal et al, 2013 [38] | 2 | App+meal replacement | Meal replacement | Self-monitoring+education+feedback+rewards | — | — |
| Laing et al, 2014 [39] | 2 | App | Usual care | Self-monitoring+feedback+social support | MyFitnessPal | — |
| Spring et al, 2017 [28] | 3 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (telephone call by coach) | Arm 1: behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (telephone call by coach)+self-monitoring (paper diaries); arm 2: behavior or advice (DVDs)+self-monitoring (paper diaries) | Self-monitoring+social support | — | — |
| Shin et al, 2017 [40] | 3 | Arm 1: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings); arm 2: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meeting) | Behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Arm 1: self-monitoring+feedback+rewards; arm 2: self-monitoring | FitLife | — |
| Ross and Wing, 2016 [27] | 3 | Arm 1: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings); arm 2: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings and telephone calls) | Behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+tracker+self-monitoring (paper diaries) | Arms 1 and 2: self-monitoring+feedback | Fitbit | — |
| Gilmore et al, 2017 [41] | 2 | App+tracker | Usual care | Self-monitoring+education+feedback | — | — |
| Tanaka et al, 2018 [42] | 2 | App | Usual care | Self-monitoring+education+feedback+social support | FiNC | — |
| Allen et al, 2013 [43] | 4 | Arm 1: app; arm 2: app+behavior or advice (intensive in-person meetings); arm 3: app+behavior or advice (less intensive in-person meetings) | Behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Arms 1, 2, and 3: self-monitoring+feedback+social support | Lose it! | Social cognitive theory |
| Stephens et al, 2017 [44] | 2 | App+behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (SMS text messages by health coach) | Behavior or advice (in-person session) | Self-monitoring+social support | Lose It! | Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy theory |
| Hales et al, 2016 [45] | 2 | Arm 1: app+behavior or advice (podcasts); arm 2: app+behavior or advice | No control | Arm 1: self-monitoring+feedback+social support+rewards; arm 2: self-monitoring | FatSecret | Social cognitive theory |
| Hartman et al, 2016 [46] | 2 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (telephone calls with coach) | Behavior or advice (telephone calls) | Self-monitoring | MyFitnessPal | — |
| Haufe et al, 2019 [47] | 2 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Waitlist | Self-monitoring+education+feedback | — | — |
| Turner-McGrievy et al, 2017 [48] | 2 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (podcasts) | Tracker (bite counter)+behavior or advice (podcasts) | Self-monitoring | FatSecret | — |
| Jospe et al, 2017 [49] | 5 | App | Arm 1: behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (email); arm 2: behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+self-monitoring (hunger using capillary glucose monitor); arm 3: behavior or advice (monthly in-person meetings); arm 4: behavior or advice (in-person session at baseline) | Self-monitoring | MyFitnessPal | — |
| Burke et al, 2017 [50] | 3 | Arm 1: app; arm 2: app+(in-person meetings)+social support (Facebook); arm 3: app+social support (Facebook) | No control | Self-monitoring+feedback | Lose It! | — |
| Lee et al, 2019 [51] | 3 | Arm 1: app; arm 2: app+behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | Usual care | Self-monitoring | — | — |
| Turner-McGrievy and Tate, 2011 [52] | 2 | App+behavior or advice (podcasts)+social support (Twitter) | Podcasts | Self-monitoring | FatSecret | Social cognitive theory |
| Monroe et al, 2019 [53] | 2 | Arm 1: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+social support (support partners)+feedback (written by coach through website); arm 2: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (written by coach through website) | No control | Self-monitoring+social support | MyFitnessPal | — |
| Choi et al, 2019 [54] | 2 | App+behavior or advice booklet (1-hour in-person meeting) | Behavior or advice (in-person meetings+telephone calls+booklets) | Self-monitoring+education+feedback+gamification | — | — |
| Evangelista et al, 2018 [55] | 2 | Arm 1: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings)+feedback (SMS text messages by coach); arm 2: app+tracker+behavior or advice (in-person meetings) | No control | Self-monitoring | GetFit | — |
| Kurtzman et al, 2018 [56] | 3 | Arm 1: app+tracker+social support (support partners)+feedback (SMS text messages or email or both by primary care practitioner)+financial incentives; arm 2: app+tracker+social support (support partners)+financial incentives; arm 3: app+tracker+social support | No control | Self-monitoring | Withings Health Mate | — |
| Carter et al, 2013 [12] | 3 | App+social support (web-based forum) | Arm 1: social support (web-based forum)+self-monitoring (web-based); arm 2: social support (social forum)+self-monitoring (paper diaries) | Self-monitoring+feedback | My Meal Mate study mobile app | — |
| Duncan et al, 2020 [57] | 3 | Arm 1: app+tracker+advice or behavior (in-person counseling sessions); arm 2: same as arm 1+sleep goals | Waitlist | Self-monitoring+education+feedback | — | Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy theory |
| Lim et al, 2021 [58] | 2 | App+behavior or advice (dietitian contact through the app) | Not explained | Self-monitoring+education+feedback | — | — |
| Ahn et al, 2020 [59] | 2 | App | Paper diary | Self-monitoring | — | — |
| Lugones-Sanchez et al, 2020 [60] | 2 | App+tracker+behavior or advice (5-minute baseline session) | Standard counseling session (5-minute baseline session) | Self-monitoring | — | — |
aNot available.