The purpose of this pilot trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a lifestyle intervention where participants will all receive online weight loss counseling delivered via a private Facebook group, but be randomized to the Habit app (developed by the investigators) or MyFitnessPal, a commercial calorie tracking app.
The purpose of this pilot trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a program where 70 adults with overweight or obesity will receive online weight loss counseling delivered via a private Facebook group, but be randomized to the Habit app (developed by the investigators) or MyFitnessPal, a commercial calorie tracking app. Participants randomized to the Habit app will be asked to record their weight daily, monitor their dietary temptations, plan their exercise, and solve diet and exercise related problems. The temptation tracker helps users identify triggers and track when and why those triggers lead to dietary lapses. The exercise planner allows users to plan their exercise for the week and track whether they completed or missed the exercise and why they missed it. The Habit app provides insights to users about the patterns of their dietary lapses and exercise habits. The problem solver feature helps users identify their biggest problem with diet/exercise and then asks a series of questions to help the app provide tailored solutions to the participant to work on. Participants randomized to MyFitnessPal will track their calorie intake and exercise daily during the intervention.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
70
Private, hidden Facebook group "Building Habits Together" includes 24 weeks on content based on the Diabetes Prevention Program and the Habit app.
Private, hidden Facebook group "Getting Healthy Together" includes 24 weeks on content based on the Diabetes Prevention Program and the MyFitnessPal app.
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Mobile App Use
Investigators will calculate the number of days participants used their assigned app
Time frame: 24 weeks
Retention
Investigators will calculate retention as the proportion of participants who provide weight data at the 24 week follow-up
Time frame: 24 weeks
Engagement Per Participant in the Facebook Group
For each participant, investigators will calculate total engagement in the Facebook group as defined as reactions (e.g., like, care, wow, etc.), replies, posts, and poll votes during the 24-week program. Then we will calculate mean or median engagement per participant over 24 weeks.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Ease of Use (Acceptability)
Participants will rate how easy it was to use their assigned app (% who strongly agree/agree)
Time frame: 24 weeks
Contamination
Investigators will report the percent of participants in the Habit condition that used MyFitnessPal or other calorie tracking apps during the program.
Time frame: 24 weeks
Time Consuming (Burden)
Participants will rate their assigned app in terms of whether they felt it took too much time out of their day (% who strongly agree/agree)
Time frame: 24 weeks
Percentage of Baseline Weight Lost at 24 Weeks
Investigators will calculate percent weight change from baseline at 24 weeks
Time frame: 24 weeks
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