Design and Pilot Results of a Mobile Phone Weight-Loss Application for Women Starting a Meal Replacement Programme

Abstract

We developed and tested a mobile phone application (app) to support individuals embarking on a partial meal replacement programme (MRP). Overweight or obese women were randomly allocated to one of two study groups. The intervention group received an MRP Support app. The control group received a static app based on the information available with the MRP. A total of 58 adult women (Support n = 28; Control n = 30) participated in the 8-week trial. Their BMI was 26-43 kg/m Usage data suggested that the intervention group were more engaged with using the app throughout the study period. Mixed modelling revealed that the difference in weight loss between the intervention and control groups (estimated mean, EM = 3.2% and 2.2% respectively) was not significant (P = 0.08). Objective data suggested that users of the Support app were more engaged than those using the control app. A total of 1098 prompts (54%) asking people in the intervention group to enter their meals were completed prior to the evening prompt. Women in the intervention group reported a greater increase in positive affect (i.e. mood) than those in the control group (EM = 0.48 and -0.01, respectively) (P = 0.012). At Week 8, those in the control group reported a greater decrease in the effort they were willing to put into staying on the diet than those who received the Support app (EM = -2.8 and -1.4, respectively) (P = 0.024). The Support app could be a useful adjunct to existing MRPs for psychological outcomes.

Theory Driven Mobile-Based Interventions: A Scoping Review

“…Also described in Table 3, the majority of the studies were randomized trials (n=12) 6,8,9,17,18,[21][22][23][27][28][29]31 ; followed by randomized controlled pilot studies (n=3) 7,10,25 ; convenience sample pilot studies (n=2) 1,24 ; quasi experimental (n=1) 30 ; mixed method observation cohort study (n=1) 11 ; and prospective cohort study (n=1) 32 .…”

“…Behavior also guided two (n=2) interventions focused on weight loss and diabetes management 7,17 . Sexual Script Theory, Behavioral Determinants Model, Common Sense Model, Self-Regulation Theory, Integrative Model of Behavior Intervention, and the Information Motivation Behavior Model were applied least frequently and focused on studies related to weight loss, HIV risk behavior, sexual risk reduction, and prevention of gestational weight gain 1,8,22,29,31,32 .…”

“…Outside of the US, study locations included Australia (n=3) 7,21,25 , New Zealand (n=2) 1,18 , Netherlands, Canada, United Kingdom, and India 8,17,24,27 . Sample size and gender also varied greatly.…”

“…Sample sizes ranged from as low 29 . Six studies were targeted only for women 7,9,22,29,30,32 , whereas only one study focused solely on male participants 27 .…”

“…Mobile interventions can be used to target key self-management behaviors like medication adherence, adversities, and barriers, which importantly reinforces the patient's role as an active agent in management of their health 5 . Additionally, these interventions can be designed based on evidence-based principles shown to promote health by connecting individuals to receive social support via discussion forums and personalizing interventions to one's individual needs through the use of tailored text messages [6][7][8][9] . Importantly, at a time where the cost of chronic disease is rising, mobile technologies may provide a cost-effective opportunity capable of reaching larger target populations spanning diverse health domains 8,10,11 .…”