Sustaining eHealth engagement in a multi‐year weight gain prevention intervention

Abstract

Summary Introduction Digital tools are widely used and effective in weight management interventions; however, usage declines over time. Strategies to promote continued engagement should be explored. We examined the effects of offering additional modes of weight reporting as well as periodic online campaigns to promote engagement, assessed by frequency of weight reporting, in a weight gain prevention study for young adults. Methods Using an observational design, self‐reported weights obtained through digital tools were pooled across participants assigned to two interventions ( n = 312). Analysis examined the effects before during and after introduction of an additional reporting modality (email) and for three time‐limited refresher campaigns over 2 years. Results Adding a new modality to the three existing modes (SMS, web, and mobile web) increased weight reporting as well as the number of modalities participants used to report weights. The use of several modes of reporting was associated with more weights submitted ( p < 0.01). Refresher campaigns did not increase the proportion of participants reporting; however, the number of weights submitted during the 4‐week campaigns increased compared with the 4 weeks before the campaign ( p 's ≥ 0.45, <0.001, respectively). Conclusion Using multiple digital modalities and periodic campaigns shows promise for sustaining engagement with weight reporting in a young adult population, and incorporating such strategies may mitigate typical declines in eHealth and mHealth interventions.

College campuses' influence on student weight and related behaviours: A review of observational and intervention research

“…Integrated, multi‐pronged efforts may prove to be more challenging in these environments. More research is needed to understand what types of interventions (e.g., multi‐media 88,89 ) might work best on campuses with limited student‐environment interaction. Previous studies conducted among young adults not enrolled in post‐secondary education may illuminate ways that part‐time or commuter campus students can be targeted effectively, as similar health behaviour trends are seen among part‐time/commuter students compared with nonstudents 90,91 .…”

Self‐Monitoring via Digital Health in Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review Among Adults with Overweight or Obesity

“…Almost one in four interventions gave participants a choice for which modality to use for self-monitoring. With the rapid evolution of digital health devices and platforms, offering choices between modalities likely enhances convenience and flexibility and has been shown to promote engagement (90). Further, recent years have seen changing preferences toward accessing the Internet via a smartphone rather than a personal computer, particularly among Hispanic and Black adults, individuals residing in rural areas, and lower-income populations (91)-groups who all have heightened obesity risk (15,92) and yet are traditionally underrepresented in obesity treatment (93).…”