Can Your Smartphone Make You Healthier?

So many of us are now firmly attached to our smartphones every day. With technology advancing so we can do almost anything with these devices, it’s easy to understand.

But if you think that you use your smartphone too much or are constantly nagging someone else to put theirs away, you don’t need to worry. It seems that mobile devices could help your lifestyle become healthier, as the connection to the internet encourages people to make healthy changes to their behaviour.

Looking at 23 years worth of research, a study has found that people are more likely to adopt behaviours that are healthy for their hearts if they are connected to the internet, whether by smartphones, tablets or other devices. This is because things they see online guide and encourage them through these changes, according to the researchers.

Dr Ashkan Afshin, lead study author and acting assistant professor of global health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington State, said: “Both Internet-based and mobile-based programs can help people become more physically active, eat better and achieve modest weight loss over 3-12 months.”

A total of 224 studies published between 1990 and 2013 that looked at the effect of internet, mobile phones and other technological tools and their effect on behavioural changes and were conducted on generally healthy adults were reviewed.

Overall, it was found that those who used internet interventions or smartphone apps made changes that helped them to lose weight, including being more active and improving diets.

This means that adding apps to your phone or joining internet groups could help you to adopt a healthier lifestyle, lose weight and improve your overall wellbeing.

Using apps that allow you to track what you eat and drink, as well as how much exercise you do can make a big difference when it comes to becoming more active and making healthier choices. Even games like Pokemon Go can encourage you to walk more, which is hugely beneficial.

It’s definitely worth seeing what you could add to your smartphone to help you get fit and healthy.