Engaging patients with heart failure in diet and nutritional health behaviors through mHealth applications – a restricted, systematic review

Purpose of review: To examine recent mHealth interventions aimed at supporting diet and nutrition behaviours in heart failure (HF). The review included studies of mobile applications (apps) that incorporated at least one diet- or nutrition-related component published in the last 5 years, in English and targeted for a heart failure population. The review summarises diet and nutrition features and evaluation, engagement strategies within these apps, and reporting of how strategies relate to changes in nutrition-focused health behaviours in people with HF. The review was restricted by period (years) of articles retrieved, percentage of duplication in researchers checking the inclusion and data extraction, and number of databases searched.

Recent findings: A total of nine studies (2019–2023) met the inclusion criteria. No mHealth application was solely dedicated to diet or nutritional health behaviours in heart failure (HF). Engagement features included personalised feedback, goal setting, reminders, and gamification, which appeared to improve adherence. Ease of use and technical support facilitated patient technology uptake, whereas burdensome data entry and complex interfaces hindered it.

Summary: mHealth apps exist for supporting HF self-care, but only a few include diet and nutrition support. Future app development should integrate robust diet and nutrition guidance alongside standard HF-care. Emphasis on user-centred design, including co-creation with patients and intuitive interfaces is essential to improve usability and engagement. Research is needed to incorporate diet and nutrition management integrate in mHealth tools for those with HF.