A text message based weight management intervention

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether a text message based intervention helped participants maintain or lose weight following completion of a weight loss programme. Low fat diet, regular exercise, breakfast consumption, goal setting and self monitoring are behaviours of weight losers and maintainers (Wing & Hill, 2001). Weight management interventions can be enhanced using mobile telephone technology to deliver support in real time, real world settings (Heron & Smyth, 2010) Methods: In this controlled study, overweight adults completing a weight management programme participated in an additional 12-week text message based intervention (‘LEAP Beep’). Participants (n=17, 7 males; 10 females; mean age 58.3 ± 12.1 years) were allocated daily targets for steps, fruit, vegetable and breakfast consumption. Twice weekly, participants ‘texted’ with progress and received practitioner feedback. Pre and post intervention body mass, waist circumference, Body Mass Index (BMI), quality of life (QOL), anxiety and depression measurements were collected and compared retrospectively to a control group (n=17; 4 males, 13 females; mean age 59.1 ± 9.5 years) receiving optional weight checks only (standard care). Paired t tests and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests evaluated differences between pre and post intervention variables. Results: Compared to the control, intervention group body mass, waist circumference and BMI reduced significantly (p=0.006; p=0.0005; p=0.03). QOL and depression scores improved, but not significantly (p=0.134; p=0.228). No difference was found between group anxiety scores (table 1.) Satisfaction surveys showed 100% (n=14) of participants strongly agreed they were satisfied with the overall programme. Conclusions: ‘LEAP Beep’ resulted in weight and waist circumference losses, improved quality of life parameters and was highly acceptable to participants. Text messaging is a cheap, portable, convenient and innovative contact medium that promotes goal setting, self monitoring and facilitates information exchange with patients. Text messaging inclusive of practitioner feedback opens up increasing possibilities for practitioner to patient support and helps maintain a positive weight outcome following initial weight loss. Further improvements to automation whilst maintaining individual support are necessary to ease practitioner burden.