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The Empowering Role of Mobile Apps in Behavior Change Interventions: The Gray Matters Randomized Controlled Trial
Hartin PJ, Nugent CD, McClean SI, Cleland I, Tschanz JT, Clark CJ, Norton MC.. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2016-08-02
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Health education and behavior change programs targeting specific risk factors have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing the development of future diseases. It is therefore theorized that a behavior change intervention targeting these risk factors would likely result in favorable rates of AD prevention. Results This paper explores the rationale for a mobile phone-led intervention and details the app's effect on behavior change and subsequent clinical outcomes. Analysis of these logs against primary outcome measures revealed that participants who improved their high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels during the study duration answered a statistically significant higher number of questions per day (mean 8.30, SD 2.29) than those with no improvement (mean 6.52, SD 3.612), t97.74=-3.051, P=.003. Participants who decreased their body mass index (BMI) performed significantly better in attaining their recommended daily goals (mean 56.21 SD 30.4%) than those who increased their BMI (mean 40.12 SD 29.1%), t80 = -2.449, P=.017. One-way analysis of variance of systolic blood pressure category changes showed a significant correlation between reported efforts to reduce stress and category change as a whole, P=.035.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Hartin, P. J., Nugent, C. D., McClean, S. I., Cleland, I., Tschanz, J. T., Clark, C. J., et al. (2016). The Empowering Role of Mobile Apps in Behavior Change Interventions: The Gray Matters Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.4878
Vancouver
Hartin PJ, Nugent CD, McClean SI, Cleland I, Tschanz JT, Clark CJ, et al. The Empowering Role of Mobile Apps in Behavior Change Interventions: The Gray Matters Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2016. doi:10.2196/mhealth.4878. PMID: 27485822.
BibTeX
@article{hartin2016-27485822,
author = {Hartin, P. J. and Nugent, C. D. and McClean, S. I. and Cleland, I. and Tschanz, J. T. and Clark, C. J. and Norton, M. C.},
title = {{The Empowering Role of Mobile Apps in Behavior Change Interventions: The Gray Matters Randomized Controlled Trial}},
journal = {JMIR mHealth and uHealth},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.2196/mhealth.4878},
pmid = {27485822},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.4878}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Background Health education and behavior change programs targeting specific risk factors have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing the development of future diseases.
- It is therefore theorized that a behavior change intervention targeting these risk factors would likely result in favorable rates of AD prevention.
- Results This paper explores the rationale for a mobile phone-led intervention and details the app's effect on behavior change and subsequent clinical outcomes.
- Analysis of these logs against primary outcome measures revealed that participants who improved their high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels during the study duration answered a statistically significant higher number of questions per day (mean 8.30, SD 2.29) than those with no improvement (mean 6.52, SD 3.612), t97.74=-3.051, P=.003.
- Participants who decreased their body mass index (BMI) performed significantly better in attaining their recommended daily goals (mean 56.21 SD 30.4%) than those who increased their BMI (mean 40.12 SD 29.1%), t80 = -2.449, P=.017.
Why it matters
This trial examined whether a mobile phone app could change behaviors related to Alzheimer's risk factors, and found links between app use and improvements in cholesterol, BMI, and stress. It did not measure whether the app prevents Alzheimer's disease, so no conclusion about prevention can be drawn.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Participants102
- Effect size30.4%; 29.1%; 69.2%
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 63/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (JMIR mHealth and uHealth) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | JMIR mhealth and uhealth: journal h-index 148 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 102 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 64 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.3 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 18 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Maria C. Norton: h-index 60 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Utah State University: institution h-index 527 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27485822) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 63 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.2196/mhealth.4878
- PubMed: 27485822
- Original source →
- Free full text: JMIR mhealth and uhealth →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
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