Smartphone Technology and Text Messaging for Weight Loss in Young Adults

Abstract

Background Using Smartphone technology and text messaging for health is a growing field. This type of technology is well integrated into the lives of young adults. However, few studies have tested the effect of this type of technology to promote weight loss in young adults Objective The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a behaviorally-based Smartphone application for weight loss combined with text messaging from a health coach on weight, body mass index, and waist circumference in young adults as compared to a control condition. Methods Sixty-two young adults, aged 18-25 years, were randomized to receive: 1) a Smartphone application + health coach intervention and counseling sessions or 2) control condition with a counseling session. All outcomes measures were tested at baseline and 3 months. These included weight, BMI, waist circumference, dietary habits, physical activity habits, and self-efficacy for healthy eating and physical activity. Results The sample was 71% female and 39% white, with an average age of 20 years and average BMI of 28.5kg/m2. Participants in the Smartphone + health coach group lost significantly more weight (p=0.026) and had a significant reduction in both BMI (p=0.024) and waist circumference (p<0.01) compared to controls. Conclusions The results of this weight loss trial support the use of Smartphone technology and feedback from a health coach on improving weight in a group of diverse young adults.

Effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for preventing harmful weight gain among young adults from lower socioeconomic status and ethnically diverse backgrounds: a systematic review

“…As three studies did not report the mean change in body weight and two were not lifestyle programme based , they were excluded from the review. This left 30 studies, from 33 papers , included in the review. The PRISMA flow diagram for the review process of study selection is shown in Fig .…”

“…Of the twenty‐four studies that reported ethnicity or race, nineteen studies recruited a relatively higher proportion of Caucasian, and no studies targeted a specific ethnic group. Five studies had a greater proportion of participants from ethnic backgrounds than Caucasian. One study had almost equal proportions of participants of Caucasian and ethnically diverse backgrounds .…”

“…Regarding characteristics of participants, the majority of studies recruited within universities or colleges, with one also recruiting from its employees (as opposed to students) (42), two being home-based (45) and one from community colleges (43,46) (Table 2). Seven studies recruited from within the community (27,28,32,41,42,50,51,54,59,60), three recruited from both universities and communities (27,42,59) , (27,42,50,51,59) and one recruited from non-college institutions (57). The mean age of the participants ranged from 18.1 to 37.5 years, however, three studies did not report the mean age of participants at baseline (30,45).…”

The Role of Race and Gender in Nutrition Habits and Self-Efficacy: Results from the Young Adult Weight Loss Study

“…The full details and methods of the YAWL randomized controlled trial are described elsewhere [12]. For the purposes of this study, we examined the distribution and correlations of specific baseline data collected including healthy eating self-efficacy, exercise self-efficacy, nutrition knowledge, exercise habits, and healthy eating habits.…”

Perspectives on implementing mobile health technology for living kidney donor follow‐up: In‐depth interviews with transplant providers

“…These studies show that LKDs are willing to engage with mHealth technology, and use of mHealth for LKD follow-up would be feasible in this population if transplant centers were to design and implement mHealth systems. Risk factors for missing LKD follow-up data include younger age, black race, lower educational attainment, living out-of-state from the transplant center, and living outside the United States.2,4 Indeed, mHealth interventions in the areas of weight management and chronic disease management have been observed to be effective among all age groups, including young adults[31][32][33] ; therefore, younger donors are both an important target for improved follow-up, and a group that is well-suited to an mHealth platform. .Concerns about meeting national follow-up requirements were reported by multiple participants in this study, as well as a belief that mHealth might help centers to maintain communication with donors that have traditionally been harder to reach.…”