A Self-Directed Mobile Intervention (WaznApp) to Promote Weight Control Among Employees at a Lebanese University: Protocol for a Feasibility Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

BackgroundOverweight and obesity have become major health problems globally with more than 1.9 billion overweight adults. In Lebanon, the prevalence of obesity and overweight is 65.4% combined. Risk factors of obesity and overweight are preventable and can be addressed by modifications in the environment and in an individual’s lifestyle. Mobile technologies are increasingly used in behavioral, self-directed weight management interventions, providing users with additional opportunities to attain weight control (weight loss, weight gain prevention, etc). Mobile apps may allow for the delivery of Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs), which provide support through skill building, emotional support, and instrumental support, following the participants’ progress. A few commercially available apps offer JITAI features, but no studies have tested their efficacy.ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of a self-directed weight loss intervention, targeting employees of an academic institution, using a virtual coaching app with JITAI features (Lark) and a self-help calorie-counting app (MyFitnessPal). The secondary objective is to estimate the effects of the intervention on main study outcomes.MethodsThis study is a single-center, parallel, randomized controlled trial with 2 study arms (intervention and control). Participants will be randomly allocated in equal proportions to the intervention (Lark) and control groups (MyFitnessPal). To be eligible for this study, participants must be employed full- or part-time at the university or its medical center, able to read English, have a smartphone, and be interested in controlling their weight. Recruitment strategies entail email invitations, printed posters, and social media postings. We will assess quantitative rates of recruitment, adherence, and retention, self-reported app quality using the user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale. We will also assess changes in weight-related outcomes (absolute weight and waist circumference), behavioral outcomes (physical activity and diet), and cognitive factors (motivation to participate in the trial and to manage weight).ResultsWaznApp was funded in June 2017, and recruitment started in March 2018.ConclusionsThis study will provide information as to whether the selected mobile apps offer a feasible solution for promoting weight management in an academic workplace. The results will inform a larger trial whose results might be replicated in similar workplaces in Lebanon and the Middle East and North Africa region, and will be used as a benchmark for further investigations in other settings and similar target groups.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03321331; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03321331 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ys9NOLo5)Registered Report IdentifierRR1-10.2196/9793

The Use of Artificial Intelligence–Based Conversational Agents (Chatbots) for Weight Loss: Scoping Review and Practical Recommendations

“…A summary and detailed description of the study characteristics are shown in Table 1 and Multimedia Appendix 3 [ 25 , 26 , 29 - 47 ] and Multimedia Appendix 4 [ 25 , 26 , 29 - 37 , 39 - 47 ]. The chatbot programs included Wakamola [ 30 - 32 ], WaznApp [ 33 ], WeightMentor [ 25 ], SWITCHes [ 34 ], MobileCoach [ 35 ], PathMate2 [ 36 ], and Lark Weight Loss Health Coach AI [ 37 ].…”

Assistive Conversational Agent for Health Coaching: A Validation Study

“…The role of mobile apps to facilitate behavior change has shown promising results in providing rich context information including an objective assessment of physical activity level and information on the emotional and physiological state of the person. 15,25 Current health coaching systems integrate artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational agents powered with machine learning and natural language understanding. 23,31,32 Such systems are flexible and can respond to users' requests.…”

“…11 The rise in artificial intelligence gave birth to messaging applications that run a conversational agent to handle some tasks. Such applications are already used in diet management, [12][13][14] physical activity promotion, 15 medication adherence, 16 and mental wellbeing promotion. 17 In addition, users, including the elderly, are familiar with messaging applications due to their low associated learning curve.…”

Actividad Física Como Estrategia Para La Prevención Y Manejo De La Obesidad

“…A pesar que el incremento del uso de las TICS en las últimas décadas ha tomado auge generando un aumento progresivo de las horas en comportamiento sedentario, estas herramientas también contribuyen Actividad física como estrategia para la prevención y manejo de la obesidad Yaneth Herazo-Beltrán, Yisel Pinillos-Patiño, Lilibeth Sánchez-Guette, Maricela Torres-Anaya y Luisa Galeano Muñoz 175 a promover estilos de vida saludable. En la actualidad se cuenta con aplicaciones que educan y ayudan determinar el gasto calórico, a partir de la dieta y nivel de actividad física del sujeto, en este sentido, las intervenciones están encaminadas al seguimiento del uso de aplicaciones para teléfono móviles de tecnología android y apple, como podómetros, y contadores de calorías según ingesta diaria (Bardus, Hamadeh, Hayek, y Al Kherfan, 2018). Este tipo de estrategias permiten el automonitoreo y la autogestión hacia el cambio, en consecuencia, las intervenciones que proponen el uso de la tecnología para el control de peso, pueden llegar a ser efectivas, debido a que los sujetos que registran su peso a diario o cada semana, tienden a ser más exitoso en la disminución del IMC, así, se puede aseverar que el autocontrol mejora la conciencia de la ingesta calórica, lo que se puede ver reflejado en la disminución del peso corporal (Dunstan, Healy, Sugiyama, y Owen, 2010;Bardus et al, 2018;Holliday et al, 2018).…”