Digital eating interventions show small average changes, with widely varying results
A review found modest shifts toward more plant foods or less animal-based food, but effects differed substantially and evidence was sparse for some groups.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Digital interventions were associated with a small average shift in the food-consumption outcomes they targeted, such as eating more plant foods or less animal-based food. Results varied considerably across studies. The review does not establish that every digital approach works, and it measured eating behavior rather than demonstrating reduced disease risk or environmental damage.
Effects varied substantially, and adolescents and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were underrepresented. The abstract does not specify comparison conditions or follow-up periods, limiting interpretation of how lasting the changes were.
Patterns across intervention designs
Social media interventions and those using prompts or cues showed stronger effects in subgroup analyses. Those comparisons describe patterns across interventions; they do not establish that adding a platform or feature alone causes a larger change.
Differences that remained uncertain
Differences between meat-reduction and plant-focused interventions were not statistically significant. Age differences were also not statistically significant, despite a larger estimate in young adults. Neither result establishes that the compared groups respond equivalently.
The original publication
Digital Interventions Targeting Healthy and Sustainable Eating Behavior: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Vanwinkelen K, Spruyt B, Smits T
J Med Internet Res · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41505650
- Record checked
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