Remote Delivery of Weight Management by Phone and Social Media

Obesity is a major public health issue as 68% of the US population is either overweight or obese. Weight loss and weight loss maintenance is difficult. Traditionally, successful weight loss programs are weekly behaviorally-based clinics which utilize a combination of calorie restriction and physical activity. Traditional "face to face" weekly meetings may not be feasible for everyone.

An alternative to provide weight loss and weight maintenance created by KUMC researchers uses weekly group phone conference calls. While this method produced equal weight loss with fewer burdens to participants when compared to the traditional "face to face" format, weight regain during maintenance was still high.

This study will investigate a new delivery method (social media platform "Facebook") compared to the group phone conference calls. In the social media platform participants will be able to socialize with other participants in their group by commenting on posts from other participants or posting messages themselves. Social media delivered programs have potential to be a more a cost-effective approach to reach a large group of individuals.

Participants who are eligible and decided to be in this study will take part in study related activities for 6 months.

Inclusion criteria

• Body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 45 kg/m^2
• Have access to a computer, smart phone, or tablet
• Give informed consent to participate

Exclusion criteria

• Unable to participate in moderate intensity PA (i.e., walking)
• Participation in a weight loss or physical activity program in the previous 6 mos.
• Greater than 3, 30-min bouts of planned exercise/week
• Not weight stable (±4.6 kg) for 3 mos. prior to intake
• Unwilling to be randomized to 1 of the 2 study groups
• Report being pregnant during the previous 6 mos., currently lactating, or planned pregnancy in the following 6 mos.
• Serious medical risk such as cancer, recent cardiac event (i.e. heart attack, stroke, angioplasty) as determined by the individual's PCP via the clearance to participate in the investigation
• Current use of antipsychotics or untreated depression
• Adherence to specialized diet regimens, i.e., multiple food allergies, vegetarian, macrobiotic
• Binge eating disorder as assessed by the Binge Eating Scale
• Living in the same household as another study participant