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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02985307

Impact of Mobile Phone Texting Service to Support Weight Loss

This study evaluates the efficacy of a mobile telehealth short message service as a facilitator for weight management. Half of the participants will receive a standard care weight management group intervention, while the other half will receive daily text messages via their mobile phone to help facilitate weight loss. It is hypothesized that the intervention group receiving text messages will be as successful as the control group at achieving weight loss over a 3-month period.

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Key information

Conditions

Obesity Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Elizabeth McAnally, Edinburgh, West Lothian, United Kingdom

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About this study

Obesity, a chronic progressive disease, has become a major public health concern due to its increasing prevalence and association with many adverse health conditions including type 2 diabetes, many cancers and heart disease. The number of individuals requiring weight management intervention is increasing necessitating the need to explore other initiatives.

Developments in health technology are growing in popularity and there is increasing evidence that this type of intervention for obesity can significantly improve clinical outcomes. Mobile phones are a popular means of communication that provide a convenient, inexpensive means to deliver a health technology intervention.Short message service (SMS) by mobile phone has the potential to serve as an intervention medium to promote weight loss that is accessible and easy to use.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Body mass index > 35kg/m requiring to lose weight for an operation or having a co-morbidity including diabetes, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea or with a body mass >40kg/m with no co-morbidities.
  • Own a mobile phone
  • Have the ability to use short message service
  • Have access to weighing scales
  • Mentally capable of informed consent
  • Have the ability to read and speak English

Exclusion criteria

  • Uncontrolled Hypothyroidism
  • Poorly controlled psychiatric illness
  • Current alcohol or drug abuse
  • Learning disability
  • Do not own a mobile phone
  • Do not have access to weighing scales
  • Does not have the ability to read or speak English

Treatment and study plan

Short Message Text Service

Behavioral

A service designed by professionals inside the National Health Service (NHS) to provide support and advice for participants to manage weight loss. It combines the expertise of the healthcare team and the convenience of the participant's own mobile phone to give prompts and advice to act on. It makes use of the familiar and convenient mobile phone text service 'SMS' to communicate directly with participants.

Standard Weight Management Group

Behavioral

A standard Lothian NHS group programme facilitated by a Dietitian

Primary outcomes

  1. Weight Loss

    Time frame: 3 months

    weight recorded in Kg on a Seca 635 medical digital load cell balance

Secondary outcomes

  1. Behavioural changes necessary for weight loss

    Time frame: 3 months

    Self reported dietary and physical activity changes using 7-day food and exercise diaries

  2. Body fat changes

    Time frame: 3 months

    Measured using a medically approved and validated scale: Tanita SC-240MA body composition analyser

  3. Body Mass index

    Time frame: 3 months

    calculated using the formula weight in kg divided by height squared in metres

  4. Height

    Time frame: 3months

    Height measured using Seca portable stadiometer with a sliding head plate

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

NHS Lothian

Other Gov

Collaborators

  • Queen Margaret University

Registry information

Official study title

Efficacy of Mobile Telehealth Short Message Service (SMS) as a Facilitator for Weight Management: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Acronym: SMS

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Dec 7, 2016
Registry last updated
Oct 3, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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