The global healthcare landscape is facing an unprecedented challenge – the surge in diet-related chronic conditions.
Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease are wreaking havoc on healthcare systems and individuals worldwide. In 2017 alone, dietary risk factors were responsible for close to 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years across the globe. Traditional approaches to managing these conditions reaching their limits, with clinical workforce burnout, resource shortages, and the added strain of the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating the issue. Thus, the need for innovative strategies to address these challenges has never been more urgent.
In this context, digital health emerges as a catalyst for revolutionizing healthcare delivery. Digital health encompasses electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mHealth), which leverage electronic platforms and mobile technologies, including wearable devices and apps, to provide health information and services. The adoption of these technologies has skyrocketed in recent years, with smartphone subscriptions globally increasing from 2.6 billion in 2016 to a staggering 6.3 billion in 2021. This widespread access to digital health tools positions it as an affordable and scalable public health strategy.
Reshaping dietary management
Among the most exciting prospects of digital health is its capacity to reshape dietary management. These platforms enable individuals to electronically track their dietary intake, streamlining sharing with healthcare professionals or self-monitoring. This increased engagement empowers patients, fostering shared responsibility and decision-making, and strengthening trust between patients and healthcare providers. Additionally, digital health offers the flexibility to access services when and where it is most convenient, addressing issues of patient burden, healthcare inequity, and resource efficiency.
However, despite its vast potential, the efficacy of digital health interventions remains a subject of inquiry, particularly for specific population groups and dietary interventions. While systematic evaluations have assessed the effectiveness of digital health interventions in various contexts, there’s a notable gap in research concerning diet-related chronic conditions. Many reviews have focused on telehealth and telephone interventions, largely overlooking the potential of mHealth and eHealth technologies. Moreover, there’s a lack of comprehensive research on the digital dietary assessment methods used in these interventions. Thus, a critical question arises.
Can digital health truly revolutionize dietary care?
To address this question, a systematic review was conducted by A. Barnett et al., and published on the Journal of Digital Health. The review was aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary interventions delivered through digital health for adults with diet-related chronic conditions. The findings of this review shed light on the current state of digital health’s impact on dietary intake and clinical outcomes.
The review uncovered positive outcomes in various areas, including improvements in diet quality scores, increased fruit and vegetable intake, reduced sodium consumption, as well as reductions in body weight, waist circumference, and HbA1c measures. These results indicate that digital health interventions could lead to significant changes in dietary habits and associated health metrics.
However, it’s crucial to note that while some outcomes showed promising improvements, others yielded only modest or non-significant results. This suggests that the effectiveness of eHealth and mHealth in dietary interventions varies across different aspects of care. Therefore, further research is necessary to pinpoint which specific components influence the effectiveness of digital health interventions.
Moreover, the review highlights the importance of better reporting dietary assessment methods within digital health interventions. Rigorous examinations are essential to confirm the validity of these methods and the content of dietary education provided to patients. This will not only strengthen the credibility of digital health interventions but also enable healthcare providers to offer more effective dietary education more effectively.
Digital health has the potential to revolutionize dietary education and management for individuals with diet-related chronic conditions. The abovementioned systematic review underscores the strides that have already been made, with tangible improvements in diet quality and various health markers. However, it also highlights the need for caution, as not all outcomes show equally positive results.
What’s next?
To unlock the full potential of digital health in dietary care, further research is imperative. Robust trials are needed to better understand the components that make digital health interventions more effective. Additionally, there is a pressing need for improved reporting on dietary assessment methods and the content of dietary education within these interventions.
In essence, these studies on Digital Health state-of-the-art serve as a call to action. They urge the healthcare community to continue exploring the vast opportunities offered by digital health, fine-tuning interventions, and conducting research that will guide their implementation on a larger scale. The road ahead holds immense promise for transforming the way we manage diet-related chronic conditions, ultimately alleviating the strain on healthcare systems and improving the lives of millions around the world.
