NCT03491293

Piloting Visual Chat in Internet Obesity Treatment

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 32 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Vermont · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

CHAT is an internet-based weight loss research program designed for women with overweight or obesity who want to lose weight through dietary change and increased physical activity. Participants will be randomized into a group-based online program who meet via a text chat or a video chat.

Detailed description

The overall goal of this project is to determine whether weight losses can be improved if visual chat and electronic smart scales are added to an established 6-month online weight loss program. The primary aim is to assess weight change differences between subjects randomized to receive an Internet program alone (with text chat; INTERNET) vs. an Internet program with visual chat and electronic scales (VIDEO INTERNET). A secondary aim is to evaluate differences in social support experienced by subjects in both conditions. Overweight and obese adults (n=40) at two study sites (UVM and the University of South Carolina) will be randomly assigned to Internet (n=20) or Video Internet (n=20). All participants will receive the same 24 week web-based group weight control program which features synchronous facilitated chats and online behavioral tools. The only difference will be the delivery of the chat (text vs. visual) and the electronic smart scales given to the VIDEO INTERNET group. Assessments will be conducted at 0, 2 and 6 months and will include measures of body weight, treatment engagement (e.g., attendance, self-monitoring, website utilization), social support and treatment satisfaction.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Behavioral Weight Loss + Text	Participants will attend weekly one hour classes on line. They will type their input and responses within the chat room. They will record their calorie and fat intake daily and weigh themselves daily. Interventionists will review the diaries weekly and provide feedback to reinforce or shape new behaviors and to identify high risk situations for problem solving.
BEHAVIORAL	Behavioral Weight Loss + Video	Participants will attend weekly one hour classes on line. They will have audio and video within the chat room, and will talk with their facilitator and classmates during their weekly meeting. They will record their calorie and fat intake daily and weigh themselves daily. Interventionists will review the diaries weekly and provide

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-03-06
• Primary completion: 2018-11-30
• Completion: 2018-11-30
• First posted: 2018-04-09
• Last updated: 2018-12-06

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States