Lifestyle and dietary group guidance through mobile application

Intervention group participants use a MealLogger-smartphone application to keep visual food journal, self-monitor mood, sleep and stress level, share their meals and physical activities with their peer group members and receive virtual coaching from nutritionist. The nutritionist will provide a short feedback to participants approximately in every other week via application for example the nutritionist will give guidance to make healthier food choices making a comment in participants meal photo and also encourages to find and maintain healhty lifestyle. Intervention group meets virtually six times in the intervention period using video conferencing software. One meeting takes 1,5 hour. The meeting is led by the nutritionist. Virtual meetings have a different theme every time and they deal e.g. own resources, motivation, making and maintaining a lifestyle change, healhty diet and physical activity. The group members can also interact with each other and with the nutritionist. Participants will be also provided a printed participant handbook specifically designed for this study, leaflet of healthy eating and weight loss, educational information and tasks via application three times per week. The intervention is based on cognitive behavioral approach and it promotes intuitive eating. The use of application varies in intervention period and includes intervals (it is personalised). One intervention group has 15-18 participants. Intervention period lasts 6 months. The intervention adherence will be measured by the data from the application e.g. user logins, meal photos, likes, comments and exercise entries made in application.