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
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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