Using social media to deliver weight loss programming to young adults: Design and rationale for the Healthy Body Healthy U (HBHU) trial

Abstract

Background The transitional period from late adolescence to early adulthood is a vulnerable period for weight gain, with a twofold increase in overweight/obesity during this life transition. In the United States, approximately one-third of young adults have obesity and are at a high risk for weight gain. Purpose To describe the design and rationale of a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) sponsored randomized, controlled clinical trial, the Healthy Body Healthy U (HBHU) study, which compares the differential efficacy of three interventions on weight loss among young adults aged 18–35 years. Methods The intervention is delivered via Facebook and SMS Text Messaging (text messaging) and includes: 1) targeted content (Targeted); 2) tailored or personalized feedback (Tailored); or 3) contact control (Control). Recruitment is on-going at two campus sites, with the intervention delivery conducted by the parent site. A total of 450 students will be randomly-assigned to receive one of three programs for 18 months. We hypothesize that: a) the Tailored group will lose significantly more weight at the 6, 12, 18 month follow-ups compared with the Targeted group; and that b) both the Tailored and Targeted groups will have greater weight loss at the 6, 12, 18 month follow-ups than the Control group. We also hypothesize that participants who achieve a 5% weight loss at 6 and 18 months will have greater improvements in their cardiometabolic risk factors than those who do not achieve this target. We will examine intervention costs to inform implementation and sustainability other universities. Expected study completion date is 2019. Conclusions This project has significant public health impact, as the successful translation could reach as many as 20 million university students each year, and change the current standard of practice for promoting weight management within university campus communities. ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT02342912

A systematic review of tailored eHealth interventions for weight loss

“…Searches were re-run in March 2018, which led to an additional three articles suitable for full text review. 27–29 Articles were excluded due to relating to wrong outcomes (e.g. cardiovascular risk, BMI), wrong study design (e.g.…”

“…Tailoring input, which provided the basis for the process of tailoring was gathered using online questionnaires at baseline, 31,32 web-based diaries, 33 via purpose-built tailored website, 33 study-designed mobile applications, 30 SMS messaging, 29 Facebook, and emails from a remote health coach. 30…”

Design of a novel digital intervention to promote healthy weight management among postpartum African American women

“…Content and delivery (e.g., social networking, text messaging) was also modeled after the digital weight loss intervention developed by Napolitano et al [40,55]. This included tailoring each lesson topic to the environmental context of having a new baby, as well as the social, cultural and environmental context and needs identified in our Phase 1 formative work.…”

Adolescent Obesity Management: Understanding the Communication and Support Preferences of Underserved Youth

“…For example, one study using social media to connect with 13 participants found a positive correlation between interaction on social media, comments/likes, and weight changes. (Prout Parks E, 2018) Other studies are currently underway to determine if social media and online use can be used to assist young adults with reaching a wider audience to assist with weight management (Napolitano MA, 2017).…”