Obesity
Conditions
Keywords
eHealth, web-based, internet-based, digital, body weight
Brief summary
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a web-based obesity management program HealthyWeightCoaching (HWC), within a HealthyWeightHub.fi (HWH) platform. HWC is a 12-month intervention within a real-life clinical setting. The program includes a combination of nutrition, physical activity, and cognitive behavioral approaches, with a strong basis in acceptance and commitment therapy. In addition to the automated, interactive program, HWC includes a personal coach allocated to each patient. The patients are enrolled through referrals from primary care, occupational health, other hospitals, or from private health care units nationwide in Finland.
Detailed description
Obesity is one of the major public health problems globally and it increases the risk of many obesity-associated diseases. Treatment of obesity requires long-term interventions, but nevertheless, it is challenging to provide long-term treatment when resources in real-life health care systems are limited. New cost-effective and accessible intervention methods are needed. The modern treatment of obesity is based on behavioral changes that modify one´s daily lifestyle, which, according to recent research, are effective especially in the prevention of diabetes. However, little is known about the utilization and effectiveness of online programs using novel interactive technologies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a real-life web-based obesity management program (HealthyWeightCoaching, HWC) on weight loss, health, quality of life, and factors predicting long term success in treating overweight adult patients. Healthy Weight Coaching is a novel 12-month intervention within a real-life clinical setting. The program includes a combination of nutrition, physical activity, and cognitive behavioral approaches, with a strong basis in acceptance and commitment therapy. The program is structured around weekly exercise modules. In addition to the automated, interactive program, HWC includes a personal coach allocated to each patient. The patients are enrolled through referrals from primary care, occupational health, other hospitals, or from private health care units nationwide in Finland. The program is free for the patient to use. The 12-month intervention is followed by a 5-year monitoring period. Questionnaires on health, quality of life, and lifestyle are collected at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12-month time points. Body weight is collected by weekly logs. The recruitment is ongoing as the program is currently used in clinical practice.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALHealthy Weight Coaching
Healthy Weight Coaching is a 52 week long web-based weight loss program consisting of weekly modules, exercises, peer support, and one-on-one coaching. It encompasses themes such as diet, physical activity, coping with stress, sleep, and general health.
Sponsors
Helsinki University Central Hospital
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* age over 18 years * body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/ m² * the possibility to use a computer and /or a smartphone with access to the internet * willingness to participate in the digital treatment program
Exclusion criteria
* diagnosed severe illness requiring assessment from the specialty care obesity center * pregnancy or breastfeeding
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| % weight loss | baseline to 12 months | Mean weight change in % |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Categorical weight loss | baseline to 12 months | % patients achieving 3-4.9%, 5-9.9% and \>10% weight loss |
| Sleep | baseline to 12 months | Self-reported sleep variables are measured by a questionnaire that was modified from the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire and The National FINRISK study. Included are questions about sleep duration, chronotype, tiredness, sleep apnoea, and medication. |
| Health-Related Quality of Life | baseline to 12 months | Health-related quality of life is measured by the RAND36 questionnaire. |
| Psychological Flexibility | baseline to 12 months | Psychological flexibility is assessed by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight (AAQW). It is a 22-item, Likert-type scale that measures acceptance of weight related thoughts and feelings with valued actions. |
| Eating behaviour | baseline to 12 months | Eating behavior is assessed by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), measuring dietary restraint, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger. |
Countries
Finland
Contacts
Primary ContactKirsi Pietiläinen, MD-PhD
Outcome results
None listed