Background:
Obesity affects young adults, leading to future morbidity and mortality. Early behavioral intervention may promote long-term weight control. Mobile technology-based (mHealth) interventions may be particularly effective in young adults. We compared both an mHealth behavioral weight loss intervention and a personal coaching weight loss intervention to no intervention (and to each other) in overweight/obese young adults.
Methods:
We randomized 365 generally healthy adults age 18-35 years with BMI > 25 kg/m2 (overweight or obese) to 24-months of intervention delivered primarily via investigator-designed cell phone (CP) or intervention delivered primarily via in-person (6 weekly) and by phone (23 monthly) coaching (PC), compared to usual care control group (Control). Primary outcome was weight change from baseline to 24 months. This study was conducted as part of the Early Adult Reduction of weight through LifestYle (EARLY) cooperative trials.
Results:
Randomized participants (N=365) had mean BMI 35 kg/m2, mean age 29yrs, were 70% women, 36% African American, 6% Latino. Final weight was obtained in 86%; missing weight was multiply imputed. At 24 months, weight loss was not different in either PC or CP vs Control (see Figure). Weight loss in PC was significantly greater than Control at 6 months. From baseline to 24 months, clinically significant weight loss (> 3% per national guidelines) occurred in 40% of PC, 34% of CP, and 30% of Control.
Conclusions:
mHealth alone may not be sufficient for weight loss in young adults but mHealth-enhanced contact with an interventionist has a modest short-term effect. Future interventions should maximize the complementarity of mHealth and personal contact to achieve larger and more sustained effect.
Erratum: Cell phone intervention for you (CITY): A randomized, controlled trial of behavioral weight loss intervention for young adults using mobile technology
