NCT03273491

Self-Weighing: an Ecological Momentary Assessment

Self-weighing's Psychological Effects: a Randomized Controlled Trial Using Ecological Momentary Assessment

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 55 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Delaware · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 26 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The primary objective of this study is to experimentally test the momentary and more distal psychological effects of daily self weighing as compared to an active control group.

Detailed description

Two significant public health problems, obesity and eating disorders, are prevalent during emerging adulthood, a unique stage of life between ages 18 and 25. Over half of emerging adults experience weight gain and/or disordered eating (e.g. overly restrictive dieting, binge eating); both of which contribute to obesity. Because many emerging adults attend college, the college community represents a viable population for implementing interventions to prevent weight gain, while not triggering disordered eating. A promising strategy for preventing weight gain during college is daily self-weighing, an example of behavioral self-monitoring, an evidence-based strategy for weight control. Self-monitoring is fundamental to behavior change: feedback allows the user to evaluate progress in relation to a goal and modify behavior. Despite self-monitoring being recommended, some evidence suggests that self-monitoring strategies, self-weighing in particular, may have unintended psychological consequences; the concern being that negative mood states could precipitate disordered eating. Alternatively, other evidence suggests positive psychological outcomes related to daily self-weighing in young adults. Technological advances have allowed for users to track personal health information in real time. Given that 60% of U.S. adults track weight, diet, or exercise, and 92% of adults aged 18-34 own a smartphone, electronic self-monitoring is feasible in this population. What is less known is individuals' psychological and behavioral response to self-monitoring. This original, important study will contribute to the fields of obesity and eating disorders and experimentally test the psychological effects of this daily weight-control intervention.

Conditions

• Daily Self-weighing
• Daily Temperature-taking

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	daily self-weighing	Participants are provided with a wifi-enabled scale and asked to weigh themselves daily, first thing in the morning.
BEHAVIORAL	daily temperature-taking	Participants are provided with a wifi-enabled thermometer and asked to take their temperature daily, first thing in the morning.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-06-01
• Primary completion: 2017-12-20
• Completion: 2017-12-29
• First posted: 2017-09-06
• Last updated: 2018-10-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States