Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2013:2013:151597.
doi: 10.1155/2013/151597. Epub 2013 Dec 10.

Randomized controlled pilot study testing use of smartphone technology for obesity treatment

Jerilyn K Allen  1 , Janna Stephens  1 , Cheryl R Dennison Himmelfarb  2 , Kerry J Stewart  3 , Sara Hauck  4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Randomized controlled pilot study testing use of smartphone technology for obesity treatment

Jerilyn K Allen et al. J Obes. 2013.

Abstract

Background: The established interventions for weight loss are resource intensive which can create barriers for full participation and ultimate translation. The major goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of theoretically based behavioral interventions delivered by smartphone technology.

Methods: The study randomized 68 obese adults to receive one of four interventions for six months: (1) intensive counseling intervention, (2) intensive counseling plus smartphone intervention, (3) a less intensive counseling plus smartphone intervention, and (4) smartphone intervention only. The outcome measures of weight, BMI, waist circumference, and self-reported dietary intake and physical activity were assessed at baseline and six months.

Results: The sample was 78% female and 49% African American, with an average age of 45 years, and average BMI of 34.3 kg/m(2). There were trends for differences in weight loss among the four intervention groups. Participants in the intensive counseling plus self-monitoring smartphone group and less intensive counseling plus self-monitoring smartphone group tended to lose more weight than other groups (5.4 kg and 3.3 kg, resp.).

Conclusions: The results of this pilot trial of a weight loss intervention provide preliminary support for using a smartphone application for self-monitoring as an adjunct to behavioral counseling.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Flegal KM, Carroll D, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999–2010. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2012;307(5):491–497. - PubMed
    1. National Institutes of Health. 98-4083. Washington, DC, USA: NIH Publication; 1998. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: the evidence report. - PubMed
    1. Grundy SM, Hansen B, Smith SC, Jr., Cleeman JI, Kahn RA. Clinical management of metabolic syndrome: report of the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/American Diabetes Association conference on scientific issues related to management. Circulation. 2004;109(4):551–556. - PubMed
    1. Goodpaster BH, DeLany JP, Otto AD, et al. Effects of diet and physical activity interventions on weight loss and cardiometabolic risk factors in severely obese adults: a randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2010;304(16):1795–1802. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Appel LJ, Champagne CM, Harsha DW, et al. Effects of comprehensive lifestyle modification on blood pressure control: main results of the PREMIER clinical trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;289(16):2083–2093. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms