The purpose of this 6 week single-arm pilot is to evaluate the feasibility of the Habit app plus Facebook group intervention in 20 adults with obesity. Participants will participate in a 6-week version of the intervention which involves receiving a feed based on the Diabetes Prevention Program in a private Facebook group, access to a professional weight loss counselor in the Facebook group, MyFitnessPal, and the Habit app.
The purpose of this single-arm pilot is to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention in 20 adults with obesity. We define feasibility as use of the mobile app features (dietary self-monitoring, slip tracker, and problem sharing/solving), retention, engagement (overall, problem solving), acceptability, and burden. This study will give us information that we can use to modify the intervention and our procedures before the larger pilot study. We will enroll 20 adults with obesity to participate in the 6-week pilot. Eligible participants will receive a link to complete surveys, mailed a wifi scale, and asked to provide staff with login information for the scale so weight can be recorded during assessments. They will then have a 60-minute call with a counselor to 1) download and receive training on program technology (MyFitnessPal, Habit app, and Fitbit scale) and 2) be entered into the Facebook group. Participants will participate in a 6-week version of the intervention which involves receiving a feed based on the Diabetes Prevention Program in a private Facebook group, access to a professional weight loss counselor in the Facebook group, MyFitnessPal, and the Habit app. Every Monday in the group, participants will be given one diet and one exercise goal for the week and every Sunday they will be asked to share their progress on those goals. Every Friday they will participate in a "weigh in" thread in the group. In addition to the group, for the first two weeks, participants will be asked to use MyFitnessPal; for the second two weeks, they will be asked to use the Temptation/Slip Tracker and Exercise Planner; and for the final two weeks they will be asked to use the Problem Solver. We will ask each participant to share at least one diet or exercise problem with the group over the 6 weeks and to participate in each other's problem solving posts. Participants may attend optional weekly breakout sessions where weight loss related problems will be discussed. On the final day of the intervention, a post will go up in the group asking for a volunteer who used the app enough to brainstorm how to improve it to participate in a team meeting to discuss how to improve the program. If more than one participant volunteers, one will be randomly selected to participate. After the 6-week intervention, participants will complete the weight loss problem solving skills survey, provide a final weight, and complete individual phone interviews to discuss their experience. We will convene a team meeting with the investigators, interventionists, and a participant to discuss the results and any modifications that should be made to the program before progressing to the pilot study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
20
The intervention includes: the Facebook-delivered Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Lifestyle Intervention, MyFitnessPal and the Habit app. The DPP will be delivered within a counselor-led private Facebook group. It uses behavioral strategies to help participants 1) achieve a program assigned calorie goal based on amount needed to lose 1-2 pounds per week, 2) develop a healthy diet, and 3) engage in 150-300 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise. Participants will be instructed to use MyFitnessPal for the first two weeks, the Habit app slip tracker and exercise planner for two weeks, and the Habit app problem solver for two weeks.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Mean Number of Uses of the Temptation Tracker
Participants were asked to use the temptation tracker on weeks 3 and 4 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Mean Number of Slips Reported
Participants were asked to report whether a temptation led to a slip or if they resisted on weeks 3 and 4 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Mean Number of Temptations Resisted
Participants were asked to report whether a temptation led to a slip or if they resisted on weeks 3 and 4 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Mean Number of Exercises Planned
Participants were asked to plan their exercise in advance on weeks 3 and 4 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Mean Number of Total Problems Solved
Participants were asked to use the app problem solver on weeks 5 and 6 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Mean Number of Diet Problems Solved
Participants were asked to use the app problem solver on weeks 5 and 6 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
Mean Number of Exercise Problems Solved
Participants were asked to use the app problem solver on weeks 5 and 6 of the intervention. Uses were extracted from the app's backend server.
Time frame: 2 weeks
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Number of Participants Saying They Agree or Strongly Agree They Would Continue to Use the Habit App if Given the Chance
Participants will rate how much they agree with the statement "I would continue to use the Habit app after the study if given the chance" on 5-point Likert scales.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Number of Participants Saying They Agree or Strongly Agree That They Would Recommend the Habit App to a Friend
Participants will rate how much they agree with the following statement "I would recommend the Habit app to a friend who is trying to lose weight" on a 5-point Likert scale.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Number of Participants Rating the Temptation and Slip Tracker as Time-consuming
Participants will rate their agreement with statements about how time-consuming participation in the program and use of each component (temptation/slip tracker, problem solver, etc) is on 5-point Likert scales. This outcome counts number of participants that Strongly Agree or Agree.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Number of Participants Rating the Problem Solver as Time-consuming
Participants will rate their agreement with statements about how time-consuming participation in the program and use of each component (slip tracker, problem solver, etc) is on 5-point Likert scales. This outcome counts number of participants that Strongly Agree or Agree.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Number of Participants Rating the Exercise Planner as Time-consuming
Participants will rate their agreement with statements about how time-consuming participation in the program and use of each component (slip tracker, problem solver, etc) is on 5-point Likert scales. This outcome counts number of participants that Strongly Agree or Agree.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Median Total Engagements in the Facebook Group
Using Grytics, we will retrieve objective engagement data from the Facebook group, including the date and content of all posts, replies, reactions, and poll votes. We will calculate the total number of posts, replies, reactions, and poll votes per participant.
Time frame: 6 weeks