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Background <p>Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been proposed as a feasible approach to promoting physical activity in children and adolescents; however, evidence regarding their effects on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) remains inconsistent.</p> Objective <p>This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of mHealth interventions on MVPA in children and adolescents and to explore potential moderators such as intervention modality and duration.</p> Methods <p>Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO were searched for randomized controlled trials published from January 2010 to March 2026. Eligible studies included children and adolescents aged 4–18 years, used mHealth as the core intervention component, and reported MVPA outcomes. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, and Egger’s test were performed to explore heterogeneity, examine robustness, and assess publication bias.</p> Results <p>Twelve trials involving 3,736 participants were included. Overall, mHealth interventions were associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in MVPA compared with control conditions (SMD = 0.13, 95% CI 0.05–0.22; <i>P</i> = .002), with substantial heterogeneity across studies (I² = 92%). Subgroup analyses suggested variation by intervention modality and duration; however, these findings were exploratory in nature. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the pooled effect became non-significant after exclusion of the study by Gómez-Cuesta et al. (2024), suggesting limited robustness of the overall estimate.</p> Conclusions <p>mHealth interventions may have a small potential effect on MVPA in children and adolescents; however, the evidence is characterized by substantial heterogeneity and sensitivity to individual studies. Current evidence is insufficient to draw firm conclusions regarding effectiveness.</p> Trial registration <p>This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement. The review protocol was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database (Registration number: CRD420261339563; Registration date: 13 March 2026).</p>

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Effectiveness of mobile health interventions for promoting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in children and adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • Binping Gong,
  • Da Wang,
  • Xinyu Chen,
  • Mingming Guo,
  • Xiaotian Wang

摘要

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been proposed as a feasible approach to promoting physical activity in children and adolescents; however, evidence regarding their effects on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) remains inconsistent.

Objective

This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of mHealth interventions on MVPA in children and adolescents and to explore potential moderators such as intervention modality and duration.

Methods

Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO were searched for randomized controlled trials published from January 2010 to March 2026. Eligible studies included children and adolescents aged 4–18 years, used mHealth as the core intervention component, and reported MVPA outcomes. Two reviewers independently conducted screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses, and Egger’s test were performed to explore heterogeneity, examine robustness, and assess publication bias.

Results

Twelve trials involving 3,736 participants were included. Overall, mHealth interventions were associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in MVPA compared with control conditions (SMD = 0.13, 95% CI 0.05–0.22; P = .002), with substantial heterogeneity across studies (I² = 92%). Subgroup analyses suggested variation by intervention modality and duration; however, these findings were exploratory in nature. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the pooled effect became non-significant after exclusion of the study by Gómez-Cuesta et al. (2024), suggesting limited robustness of the overall estimate.

Conclusions

mHealth interventions may have a small potential effect on MVPA in children and adolescents; however, the evidence is characterized by substantial heterogeneity and sensitivity to individual studies. Current evidence is insufficient to draw firm conclusions regarding effectiveness.

Trial registration

This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 statement. The review protocol was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database (Registration number: CRD420261339563; Registration date: 13 March 2026).