scholarly journals Incorporating a Static Versus Supportive Mobile Phone App Into a Partial Meal Replacement Program With Face-to-Face Support: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Brindal ◽  
Gilly A Hendrie ◽  
Jill Freyne ◽  
Manny Noakes
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Meal Replacement ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Message Service ◽  
Clinical Trials Registry ◽  
Face Support ◽  
Meal Replacement Program

BACKGROUND Mobile phone apps may be acceptable to users and could improve retention and adherence over more traditional methods, but there is mixed literature supporting their efficacy. In the weight management space, very little is known about how a mobile phone app integrating features beyond text messaging (short message service) can affect behavior, particularly when combined with face-to-face support. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a mobile phone app when combined with a partial meal replacement program including face-to-face support. This paper compares a static versus supportive app over a 6-month randomized trial for effects on weight loss, weight-related biomarkers, and psychological outcomes. METHODS Overweight and obese adults (71.2% female, 104/146; mean 48.11, SD 11.75 years) were recruited to participate in the weight loss study, and they were randomized on a 1:1 basis using a computer algorithm. The supportive app (n=75) provided information, food intake recording, rewards, prompts for regular interaction through reminders, and the opportunity to review personal compliance with the dietary program. The static app (n=71) included only recipes and weight loss information. Both groups recieved equal amounts of face-to-face support in addition to app. RESULTS The overall reduction in app usage over 24 weeks was lower for the supportive app in comparison with the static app; approximately 39.0% (57/146) of the users were still using the app at week 24. Despite the promising results for app usage, there were no differences in weight loss between groups (F1,128.12=0.83, P=.36). However, it should be noted that almost 60% (49/84) of all participants lost 5% or more of body weight during the trial. No weight-related biomarkers were significantly different between groups. Both groups experienced an increase in positive mood, but this was significantly higher for those who received the static app (F1,118.12=4.93, P=.03). CONCLUSIONS Although the supportive app was well received by users, we found little evidence of the added benefit of this versus the static app in combination with face-to-face support in a community-delivered weight loss program. Future versions of the app may incorporate more unique behavioral techniques beyond those provided by the consultant to improve the potency of the app. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613000547741; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=364187 (Archived by WebCite http://www.webcitation.org/6yivwfMI9)

scholarly journals Rationale, design and study protocol of the randomised controlled trial: Diabetes Interventional Assessment of Slimming or Training tO Lessen Inconspicuous Cardiovascular Dysfunction (the DIASTOLIC study)

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e023207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Singh Gulsin ◽  
Emer M Brady ◽  
Daniel J Swarbrick ◽  
Lavanya Athithan ◽  
Joseph Henson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Exercise Capacity ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing ◽  
Exercise Programme ◽  
Meal Replacement ◽  
Supervised Exercise ◽  
Study Results

IntroductionDespite their young age and relatively short duration of disease, younger adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) already have diastolic dysfunction and may be at risk of incipient heart failure. Whether weight loss or exercise training improve cardiac dysfunction in people with T2D remains to be established.Methods and analysisProspective, randomised, open-label, blind endpoint trial. The primary aim of the study is to determine if diastolic function can be improved by either a meal replacement plan or a supervised exercise programme, compared with guideline-directed care. A total of 90 obese participants with T2D (aged 18–65 years), diabetes duration <12 years and not on insulin treatment will be randomised to either guideline-directed clinical care with lifestyle coaching, a low-energy meal replacement diet (average ≈810 kcal/day) or a supervised exercise programme for 12 weeks. Participants undergo glycometabolic profiling, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, echocardiography and MRI scanning to assesses cardiac structure and function and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning for body composition. Key secondary aims are to assess the effects of the interventions on glycaemic control and insulin resistance, exercise capacity, blood pressure, changes in body composition and association of favourable cardiac remodelling with improvements in weight loss, exercise capacity and glycometabolic control.Ethics and disseminationThe study has full ethical approval, and data collection was completed in August 2018. The study results will be submitted for publication within 6 months of completion.Trial registration numberNCT02590822; Pre-results.

Questionnaire Design in Short Message Service (SMS) Surveys

Field Methods ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-229
Author(s):  
Charles Q. Lau ◽  
Herschel Sanders ◽  
Ansie Lombaard
Keyword(s):  
Text Messaging ◽  
Short Message Service ◽  
Questionnaire Design ◽  
Short Message ◽  
Multiple Response ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Message Service ◽  
Randomize Response

Short message service (SMS or text messaging) surveys can collect data quickly and inexpensively. However, SMS surveys have space constraints that pose difficulties to questionnaire designers: Questions can only be 160 characters or less, surveys must be short, and many respondents use phones with small screens. In this article, we compare SMS and benchmark face-to-face surveys across four African countries to address three common questions in SMS questionnaire design. First, are multiple response questions feasible? Second, is it necessary to randomize response option order? Third, should “don’t know” response options be included? Our results provide practical guidance about how to improve data quality with this emerging mode of data collection.

scholarly journals Rationale and Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Fast versus Slow Weight Loss in Postmenopausal Women with Obesity—The TEMPO Diet Trial

Healthcare ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radhika Seimon ◽  
Alice Gibson ◽  
Claudia Harper ◽  
Shelley Keating ◽  
Nathan Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Energy Restriction ◽  
Cardiometabolic Health ◽  
Meal Replacement ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Eating Disorder Behaviors

Very low energy diets (VLEDs), commonly achieved by replacing all food with meal replacement products and which result in fast weight loss, are the most effective dietary obesity treatment available. VLEDs are also cheaper to administer than conventional, food-based diets, which result in slow weight loss. Despite being effective and affordable, these diets are underutilized by healthcare professionals, possibly due to concerns about potential adverse effects on body composition and eating disorder behaviors. This paper describes the rationale and detailed protocol for the TEMPO Diet Trial (Type of Energy Manipulation for Promoting optimal metabolic health and body composition in Obesity), in a randomized controlled trial comparing the long-term (3-year) effects of fast versus slow weight loss. One hundred and one post-menopausal women aged 45–65 years with a body mass index of 30–40 kg/m2 were randomized to either: (1) 16 weeks of fast weight loss, achieved by a total meal replacement diet, followed by slow weight loss (as for the SLOW intervention) for the remaining time up until 52 weeks (“FAST” intervention), or (2) 52 weeks of slow weight loss, achieved by a conventional, food-based diet (“SLOW” intervention). Parameters of body composition, cardiometabolic health, eating disorder behaviors and psychology, and adaptive responses to energy restriction were measured throughout the 3-year trial.

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