SMS coaching for weight loss
Daily tailored text/MMS coaching produced about 2 kg more weight loss than print materials over 4 months in overweight adults.
Source
A text message-based intervention for weight loss: randomized controlled trial
Study at a glance
- Design
- RCT — Mobile-phone assessment and messaging intervention for diet and weight
- N
- N=65 · Mean age 44.9; mean BMI 33.2 kg/m²; completed baseline
- Population
- Adults with overweight/obesity enrolled in a text-message weight-loss trial
- Outcome
- Weight and dietary behavior after a text-message intervention versus control
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SMS coaching for weight loss
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65 participants completed baseline (mean age 44.9; mean BMI 33.2).
A total of 65 participants (mean age 44.9 years, mean weight 89 kg, mean BMI 33.2 kg/m 2 ) completed baseline measures and were included in the analyses; 80% were women, 75% were white, and 17% were African American ().
Intervention lost 1.97 kg more than comparison at 4 months (P = .02).
At the end of 4 months, the intervention group lost more weight than the comparison (1.97 kg more; P = .02), after adjusting for time, sex, and mean age.
What they did
Researchers randomized overweight adults who used mobile phones to a 4-month program of daily tailored SMS/MMS prompts plus brief monthly counselor calls, versus monthly print materials, and tracked weight at 0, 2, and 4 months.
What they found
Intervention participants lost more weight than comparison participants (about 1.97 kg more; adjusted losses ~2.88 kg vs 0.91 kg).
The limits
What it doesn't show
Short follow-up cannot show long-term maintenance, and the sample was modest and mostly female.
Key terms
- SMS/MMS
- Text and multimedia phone messages used as behavioral prompts.
- Self-monitoring
- Tracking weight, food, and activity to support behavior change.
- BMI
- Body mass index classifying overweight and obesity.
- Usual care comparison
- Monthly mailed print weight-control materials without daily messaging.
- LOCF
- Last observation carried forward imputation for missing follow-up weight.
- Mixed model
- Repeated-measures analysis comparing groups over time.
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Study design?
Common questions
Who enrolled?
65 overweight adults (mean BMI 33.2); 80% women.
How long was the intervention?
4 months of daily messaging.
How much extra weight loss occurred?
About 1.97 kg more than comparison (P = .02).
What did controls get?
Monthly print materials after the same baseline diet assessment.
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