Interest in a Twitter-delivered weight loss program among women of childbearing age

Waring, Molly E.; Schneider, Kristin L.; Appelhans, Bradley M.; Simas, Tiffany A. Moore; Xiao, Rui; Whited, Matthew C.; Busch, Andrew M.; Evans, Martinus M.; Pagoto, Sherry L.

doi:10.1007/s13142-015-0382-4

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…design, engaging content provided) or personal factors, such as interest in the intervention itself or the stage of change of the individual. Social media use differs by age in general [ 55 ], and in formative research examining interest in a Twitter-delivered weight loss intervention, Waring et al [ 56 ] found that the youngest group of women included in their study were the least likely to be interested in a Twitter-delivered weight loss intervention; 62% in 21–29 years, 96% in 30–34 years and 77% in 35–45 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social media use for nutrition outcomes in young adults: a mixed-methods systematic review

Klassen

Douglass

Brennan

et al. 2018

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

139

127

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BackgroundSocial media has been widely adopted by young adults, consequently health researchers are looking for ways to leverage this engagement with social media for the delivery of interventions and health promotion campaigns. Weight gain and sub-optimal dietary choices are common in young adults, and social media may be a potential tool to facilitate and support healthier choices.MethodsWe conducted a mixed-methods systematic review of studies examining social media use for nutrition-related outcomes in young adults. Seven databases [EBscohost, ERIC, ProQuest Central, PubMed, Ovid, Scopus, and Emerald] were systematically searched; 1225 abstracts were screened, and 47 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Study designs included both quantitative, such as experimental and observational studies, and qualitative, such as focus groups and interviews, approaches. Quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Quantitative and qualitative results were examined separately, and then synthesized.ResultsTwenty-one studies were included although their use of social media was highly variable. The main purpose of social media was to provide information and social support to participants. In the nine randomized controlled trials, social media was used as one aspect of a multi-faceted intervention. Interventions had a positive statistically significant impact on nutritional outcomes in 1/9 trials. Engagement with the social media component of interventions varied, from 3 to 69%. Young adults appear to be open to receiving healthy eating and recipe tips through social media, however, they are reluctant to share personal weight-related information on their online social networks.ConclusionsInformation-dissemination is now an acceptable use of social media by young adults. Using social media effectively for social support, either via private groups or public pages, requires careful evaluation as its effectiveness is yet to be demonstrated in experimental designs. Concerns about public social media use may be a contributing factor to poor engagement with social media in research intervention studies aimed at influencing weight. Future research should consider how to best engage with young adults using social media, how to more effectively use social media to support young adults and to facilitate social and peer-to-peer support in making healthier choices.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12966-018-0696-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social media use for nutrition outcomes in young adults: a mixed-methods systematic review

Klassen

Douglass

Brennan

et al. 2018

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

139

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, Waring and colleagues surveyed 63 overweight or obese women of childbearing age who were Twitter users to find out if they had an interest in participating in a weight-loss intervention delivered via Twitter. The majority (81%), but not all, were at least somewhat interested in such a program [ 92 ]. Further research is needed to explore which populations are most interested in this type of intervention.…”

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adapting Behavioral Interventions for Social Media Delivery

Pagoto¹,

Waring²,

May³

et al. 2016

J Med Internet Res

Self Cite

140

114

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Patients are increasingly using online social networks (ie, social media) to connect with other patients and health care professionals—a trend called peer-to-peer health care. Because online social networks provide a means for health care professionals to communicate with patients, and for patients to communicate with each other, an opportunity exists to use social media as a modality to deliver behavioral interventions. Social media-delivered behavioral interventions have the potential to reduce the expense of behavioral interventions by eliminating visits, as well as increase our access to patients by becoming embedded in their social media feeds. Trials of online social network-delivered behavioral interventions have shown promise, but much is unknown about intervention development and methodology. In this paper, we discuss the process by which investigators can translate behavioral interventions for social media delivery. We present a model that describes the steps and decision points in this process, including the necessary training and reporting requirements. We also discuss issues pertinent to social media-delivered interventions, including cost, scalability, and privacy. Finally, we identify areas of research that are needed to optimize this emerging behavioral intervention modality.

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“…Compared with offline friends, family members, and Facebook friends, participants who use Twitter to discuss their weight loss are exposed to more sources of positive social influence and fewer sources of negative social influence regarding weight loss [ 20 ]. Women of childbearing age actively use Twitter and show great interest in Twitter-based weight loss interventions [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Media–Promoted Weight Loss Among an Occupational Population: Cohort Study Using a WeChat Mobile Phone App-Based Campaign

He¹,

Wu²,

Zhao³

et al. 2017

J Med Internet Res

131

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BackgroundBeing overweight and obese are major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high throughout the world and these issues are very serious in the Shunyi District in China. As mobile technologies have rapidly developed, mobile apps such as WeChat are well accepted and have the potential to improve health behaviors.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile app (WeChat) as an intervention on weight loss behavior.MethodsThis study was conducted among an occupational population from August 2015 to February 2016 in the Shunyi District of Beijing. Before the intervention, the Shunyi District Government released an official document for weight loss to all 134 government agencies and enterprises in Shunyi District. Participants willing to use our official WeChat account were enrolled in a WeChat group and received 6 months of interventions for weight loss; those who were not willing to use the account were in a control group given routine publicity on weight loss.ResultsIn total, 15,310 occupational participants including 3467 participants (22.65%) in the control group and 11,843 participants (77.35%) in the WeChat group were enrolled. Participants in the WeChat group lost more weight (mean 2.09, SD 3.43 kg) than people in the control group (mean 1.78, SD 2.96 kg), and the difference in mean weight loss between the two groups for males was significant based on the stratification of age and educational level. To control for confounding factors and to explore the effects of WeChat on weight loss, the propensity score method with a multinominal logistic regression was utilized. For males, this showed that the WeChat group (with both active and inactive subgroups) had a higher probability of maintaining weight, weight loss from 1 to 2 kg, or weight loss more than 2 kg than the control group. However, the control group had higher probability of weight loss from 0 to 1 kg. Being active in WeChat was likely to be associated with weight loss. The more active participants were in the weight loss program via WeChat, the more weight they lost.ConclusionsThe weight loss intervention campaign based on an official WeChat account focused on an occupation-based population in Shunyi District was effective for males. The more active male participants were in using WeChat, the more weight they lost. There might be no effect or there may even be a negative effect on weight loss for females. Future research should focus on how to improve adherence to the WeChat weight loss interventions, to improve and refine the WeChat content such as developing a variety of materials to attract interest, and to protect personal privacy, especially for females.

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Interest in a Twitter-delivered weight loss program among women of childbearing age

Cited by 18 publications

References 42 publications

Social media use for nutrition outcomes in young adults: a mixed-methods systematic review

Social media use for nutrition outcomes in young adults: a mixed-methods systematic review

Adapting Behavioral Interventions for Social Media Delivery

Social Media–Promoted Weight Loss Among an Occupational Population: Cohort Study Using a WeChat Mobile Phone App-Based Campaign

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