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Self‐Weighing and Visual Feedback Has Long Term Effects on Weight Gain Prevention in Adults
Author(s) -
Wilkinson Lua,
Pacanowski Carly,
Levitsky David
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.676.3
Subject(s) - weight loss , weight gain , medicine , intervention (counseling) , weight change , term (time) , physical therapy , body weight , psychology , obesity , psychiatry , physics , quantum mechanics
The primary objective of this study was to assess long‐term impact of a self‐monitoring intervention on weight 30 months after participating in a two‐year weight reduction and maintenance study. In 2010, 178 adults were recruited and randomly assigned to a control or experimental. Participants randomly assigned to the control group were tracked for the first year, then given access to the intervention: daily weighing using a bathroom scale paired with an internet program designed to prompt slow weight loss via the display of a graphical line representing the user's weight and weight loss target. Thirty months after the study's commencement, participants were re‐conacted and 42 agreed to a follow‐up survey and to relog their weight. We found that 30 months after the completion of the study, participants’ weight change were not statistically different from zero, signifying weight maintenance (p = 0.87). This analysis suggests that for some individuals, a self‐monitoring intervention focusing on weight appears to be an effective self‐guided strategy for long term weight loss. Future research and weight maintenance programs may consider the addition of this strategy for long term weight gain prevention.