Obesity Treatment Using an Internet-delivered Intervention Based on the Diabetes Prevention Program in Mexican Adults

In Mexico, 7 out of 10 adults are overweight or obese. The diseases associated with these conditions (diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers) are those that impact the most on the disability-adjusted life years of Mexicans and on their mortality rates. A reduction in body weight of 5-10% can reduce the incidence of obesity related diseases. The gold standard for treating obesity is an intensive lifestyle change program such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) whose effectiveness has been evaluated in various formats and populations with positive results, including in Mexico. However, the DPP is not accessible to all sectors of the population. To increase its dissemination, the implementation of online interventions based on the DPP (oi-DPP) has been proposed. A systematic review of oi-DPP showed promising results, however, the evidence is limited and the lack of studies of high methodological quality is highlighted. The main objective of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of an oi-DPP for weight loss in Mexican adults with overweight or obesity at 3 months. The study design is a randomized controlled trial with 2 arms: oi-DPP and wait-list control. A 3 months pilot study (n=30) will be conducted prior to the main study to estimate sample size, considering an alpha error of 0.05 and power of 80%. The primary outcome is the mean change in body weight from baseline to 3 months post-baseline between the 2 groups. Secondarily, differences in biochemical parameters (fasting glucose, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and gamma glutamyl transferase) from baseline to 3 months will be evaluated, as well as mean changes from baseline to 3 and 6 months in body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, depression and quality of life scales and the number of participants achieving a weight loss greater than 5% of initial body weight. Body weight will be also evaluated at 6 months post-baseline. The previous measurements will apply both in the pilot study and the study except for the biochemical parameters that will only be included in the main study. The differences between the 2 groups for each variable will be analyzed using a t test for independent samples, in case of having a parametric sample. Otherwise, the Mann-Whitney U test will be used. Analysis will follow the intent-to-treat principle.