Use of Facebook as a Motivating Factor in a Weight-reduction Program for Obese and Overweight Adolescents

Use of Facebook as a Motivating Factor in a Weight-reduction Program for Obese and Overweight Adolescents.

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01819376

Enrollment

Registered

2013-03-27

Start date

2013-03-31

Completion date

2013-12-31

Last updated

2024-02-28

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Obesity, Overweight

Keywords

Obesity, Overweight, Adolescents, Teenagers, Facebook, Social Networks

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine if Facebook can be used as a motivating factor for obese or overweight adolescents in a weight-reduction program.

Detailed description

This study is a randomized controlled trial. There will be two randomly assigned groups of obese or overweight adolescents (WHO definition). Both groups will be enrolled in a 12 week weight reduction program which includes personal nutritional evaluation and food plan and exercise routine. Follow-up appointments will be held every 3 weeks. One group will be encouraged to update their Facebook status at least once a day, regarding their healthy lifestyle changes (exercise routine, healthy food choice, checking-in at the wellness center, kilograms lost, etc). The control group will be asked not to share information about their program on Facebook for 12 weeks. Facebook follow-up will be held by the investigators on the study's Facebook account. Teenagers will be thoroughly explained on how to set the account to a limited profile if they want to. At the end of the program both groups will be compared regarding weight loss and mean BMI.

Interventions

OTHERFacebook Status Update

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

DOUBLE (Caregiver, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

13 Years to 19 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Adolescents between 13 and 19 years old. * Obese or overweight according to the IOTF. * No physical or medical impediment for performing physical activity. * No risk for eating disorders (SCOFF questionnaire). * Report less than 20 minutes of physical activity per day. * Have an active Facebook account and use it more than 20 minutes per day. * Low-risk in the Gatehouse Bullying Scale.

Exclusion criteria

* Physical or medical impediment for performing physical activity. * Answer yes at least twice on the SCOFF questionnaire. * Report more than 20 minutes of exercise per day. * Not having an active Facebook account or using it less than 20 minutes per day. * High Risk on the Gatehouse Bullying Scale.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
BMI	12 weeks	Body Mass Index

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Positive Feedback	12 weeks	Positive feedback (likes, positive comments) will be evaluated and related to BMI reduction.

Countries

Mexico

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026