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UConn CHASM 6th Annual Conference 2022: "Telehealth and Remote Care in a Post-Pandemic World" (54)

Published on in Vol 9 (2023)

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/39538, first published .
Single-Arm Trial of a Flexible Multicomponent Commercial Digital Weight Management Program

Single-Arm Trial of a Flexible Multicomponent Commercial Digital Weight Management Program

Single-Arm Trial of a Flexible Multicomponent Commercial Digital Weight Management Program

Authors of this article:

Sherry Pagoto1 Author Orcid Image ;   Ran Xu1 Author Orcid Image ;   Tiffany Bullard2 Author Orcid Image ;   Richard Bannor1 Author Orcid Image ;   Kaylei Arcangel1 Author Orcid Image ;   Joseph DiVito1 Author Orcid Image ;   Gary D Foster2, 3 Author Orcid Image ;   Michelle I Cardel2 Author Orcid Image
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States

    2WW International, New York, NY, United States

    3Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States

    Corresponding Author:

    Sherry Pagoto, PhD

    Department of Allied Health Sciences

    University of Connecticut

    Benjamin Franklin Koons Hall

    358 Mansfield Rd

    Storrs, CT, 06269

    United States

    Phone: 1 (860) 486 2834

    Email: sherry.pagoto@uconn.edu


    Background: Hunger and food cravings predict poor outcomes in lifestyle interventions for weight management. For this reason, flexible weight management programs, as opposed to restrictive weight management programs, are needed. WW (formerly Weight Watchers)—a widely available, commercial weight management and wellness program—includes an approach that allows participants to obtain a personalized zero-point food (ZPF) list, which includes foods that do not need to be weighed, measured, or tracked. With over 300 potential options, ZPFs can include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nonfat dairy, and lean sources of protein. Participants are assigned an individualized daily and weekly point target and can use ZPFs to help budget their points throughout the day, which can nudge participants toward a healthier overall dietary pattern.

    Objective: In a 6-month, single-arm trial, we examined the efficacy of WW when delivered via multimodal digital tools, including a mobile app for assisting with point tracking, weekly virtual workshops, weekly 5-minute wellness check-ins, and a Facebook group in which participants could socialize and support each other.

    Methods: The outcomes included weight change from baseline, as measured by the Bluetooth scales provided to each participant; hunger (visual analogue scale); food cravings (Food Craving Inventory); the intake of fruits and vegetables (The Five Factor Screener); physical activity (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire); and overall well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index).

    Results: Of the 153 participants, 70% were female, and 66% were White. Participants’ mean age was 41.09 (SD 13.78) years, and they had a mean BMI of 31.8 (SD 5.0) kg/m2. Retention was high, as 91.5% provided 6-month follow-up data. Participants lost an average of 5.1% of body weight from baseline to 6 months (mean −4.4, SD 4.87 kg; P<.01), with 51% losing clinically significant weight (≥5%). Hunger significantly declined over 6 months (mean percent change −14.74%, SD 64.28%; P<.01), as did food cravings (mean percent change −16.99%, SD 19.98%). The intake of fruits (mean percent change 65.95%, SD 188.78%; P<.01), vegetables (mean percent change 68.29%, SD 172.61%; P<.05), and salad (mean percent change 127.43%, SD 250.82%; P<.001) significantly increased. Engagement in moderate physical activity increased by an average of 32 (SD 133) minutes per day (P<.01), and sedentary time decreased by 90 (SD 24.5) minutes per day (P<.001). Finally, well-being significantly increased (mean change 17.77%, SD 46.21%; P<.01).

    Conclusions: This program, which used a less restrictive method of food tracking and provided personalized ZPFs, resulted in significant weight loss and an increase in fruits, vegetables, and exercise, while also reducing hunger and food cravings. Future research should compare the effectiveness of these approaches to traditional programs that require the self-monitoring of all foods and beverages.

    Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04302389; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04302389

    Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

    iproc 2023;9:e39538

    doi:10.2196/39538

    Keywords

    mobile apps; diet tracking; wellness; social media intervention; Facebook; weight management; obesity; digital health; virtual counseling; WW; weight watchers 

    Edited by T Leung; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 13.05.22; accepted 22.12.22; published 24.01.23

    Copyright

    ©Sherry Pagoto, Ran Xu, Tiffany Bullard, Richard Bannor, Kaylei Arcangel, Joseph DiVito, Gary D Foster, Michelle I Cardel. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 24.01.2023.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.