Abstract
Digital interventions are increasingly utilized as a lever to promote population health, yet not everyone may equally benefit from them. This umbrella review pooled the insights from available systematic and scoping reviews regarding potential social inequalities in digital intervention uptake, engagement and effectiveness, focusing on the promotion of weight-related behaviors (diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior) and weight loss (maintenance) in adults. Six databases were searched from 1970 to October 2023. Forty-six reviews were included, of which most focused on physical activity and intervention effectiveness. Age and gender/ sex differences were most frequently studied. Most reviews found digital interventions to be effective irrespective of age, while men benefitted more from digital interventions than women. Other inequality indicators (e.g., income, education) were rarely studied, despite them being potential causes of a digital divide. A more systematic and thorough exploration of inequalities in digital health is required to promote health for all.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 11 |
| Journal | npj Digital Medicine |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 6 Jan 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 6 Jan 2025 |
Data Availability Statement
The dataset generated during the current study is openly available in the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/g4hzb/.Funding
This study was partially funded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK135227, MPI: Krukowski). The funder played no role in study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation of data, or the writing of this manuscript. Open access funding provided by University of Vienna.