mHealth

Change log

What changed

Dated edits to this page's evidence: studies added or removed from a claim, claims added or withdrawn, and new explanations tagged here. Rewordings are not listed.

• Sep 3, 2026

  • Concept page published

mHealth uses mobile apps and phones to deliver assessment, coaching, or treatment support.

App claims are loud; trial and field evidence here separates usable tools from marketing.

Evidence

What the evidence shows

Drawn from 8 studies in this library. Each finding starts with a plain-language takeaway, then the denser detail. Supports means evidence for a finding; Challenges means evidence against a stated position; Qualifies marks scope with a short note on each study’s contribution. Challenged positions are labeled — they are not findings.

• Multiple studies in this library examine mhealth with empirical patient or population outcomes rather than opinion alone.

  3 studies
  1. 1Woebot chatbot for substance use
  2. 2MoodGYM improves population wellbeing
  3. 3Audio vs text produce-app RCT

  Study comparison

  Study	Role	Design	N	Population	Outcome
  Woebot chatbot for substance use2021	Supports	Human experimentSingle-group 8-week pre–post usability/feasibility evaluation (no control)	N=101 · 101 enrolled; 51 completed the post-treatment survey	Adults initiating a therapeutic chatbot for problematic substance use	Past-month use occasions, AUDIT-C/DAST-10, cravings, PHQ-8, GAD-7 over 8 weeks
  MoodGYM improves population wellbeing2012	Supports	RCTFully automated MoodGYM vs waiting-list; ITT mixed models	N=3070 · Randomized NHS Choices users; high differential attrition	NHS Choices website users randomized to MoodGYM or wait-list	WEMWBS well-being at 6 and 12 weeks
  Audio vs text produce-app RCT2016	Supports	RCTThree-arm RCT: text-tailored vs audio-tailored vs questionnaire control	N=146 · Final analytic sample	Adults using a fruit-and-vegetable mobile app intervention	Fruit and vegetable intake at 6 months

• Past-month use occasions, AUDIT-C, DAST-10, PHQ-8, and GAD-7 improved (all P<.05). In-app craving ratings fell roughly by half by weeks 8–9. Engagement averaged about 15.7 use days over 8 weeks. Authors call the approach feasible and acceptable but note the need for controlled efficacy trials.

  1 study
  1. 1Woebot chatbot for substance use

• 3070 people were randomized. The intervention × time interaction was highly significant: adjusted WEMWBS differences favored MoodGYM by about 2.5 points at 6 weeks and 2.9 at 12 weeks (≈Cohen d 0.34). Attrition was much higher in the intervention arm (73.5%) than control (26.9%).

  1 study
  1. 1MoodGYM improves population wellbeing

• Audio coaching increased fruit intake by about three pieces per week versus text and control; vegetable intake had no significant main effect of condition (literacy interactions noted).

  1 study
  1. 1Audio vs text produce-app RCT

• PeR improved self-efficacy and quality of life and eased symptoms; health improvement was 2.24× higher with high vs low Ex-SRES; dropout was 11.3%.

  1 study
  1. 1WeChat rehab helped COPD self-efficacy

• Intervention participants lost more weight than comparison participants (about 1.97 kg more; adjusted losses ~2.88 kg vs 0.91 kg).

  1 study
  1. 1SMS coaching for weight loss

Common misconceptions

• ✗mHealth findings always generalise to every clinic.

  ✓These studies are context-bound; designs, populations, and endpoints limit transfer.

  1. 1Woebot chatbot for substance use
  2. 2MoodGYM improves population wellbeing

Exam-style questions

Short-answer questions that ask you to explain or compare, not recall.

The studies

8 studies in this library bear on mHealth, ordered by citations.

• SMS coaching for weight loss

  Daily tailored text/MMS coaching produced about 2 kg more weight loss than print materials over 4 months in overweight adults.

  Journal of medical Internet research · 2009 · 384 citations

• Woebot chatbot for substance use

  An 8-week fully automated Woebot SUD program showed pre–post drops in substance use, cravings, depression, and anxiety in a single-group study.

  Journal of medical Internet research · 2021 · 117 citations

• MoodGYM improves population wellbeing

  In a large UK web RCT, automated MoodGYM raised mental well-being versus wait-list control despite high intervention attrition.

  Journal of medical Internet research · 2012 · 113 citations

• Fitbit wear during an activity trial

  Survivors wore Fitbits most days and roughly doubled ActiGraph MVPA over 12 weeks in the intervention arm.

  JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2018 · 85 citations

• WeChat rehab helped COPD self-efficacy

  A Chinese RCT used WeChat-supported personalized remote pulmonary rehab (PeR) to improve COPD patients’ self-efficacy, quality of life, and symptoms.

  Journal of medical Internet research · 2020 · 79 citations

• Mobile Immediate Mood Scaler validation

  A 22-item mobile Immediate Mood Scaler correlated strongly with standard PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in 110 participants.

  JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2017 · 61 citations

• Tech parenting program cut postpartum distress

  A Singapore RCT found a technology-based supportive educational parenting program improved bonding and satisfaction while reducing postnatal depression and anxiety.

  Journal of medical Internet research · 2019 · 60 citations

• Audio vs text produce-app RCT

  A tailored mobile app’s audio messages raised fruit intake more than text or control, while vegetable intake showed no overall main effect.

  Journal of medical Internet research · 2016 · 45 citations