NCT06966661

Peer-Supported E-Health Intervention for College Student Weight Management and Mental Health

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 216 (actual)
• Sponsor: Jinan University Guangzhou · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 25 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will test whether adding peer support and online education can help college students manage their weight and improve their mood: we plan to enroll 300 full-time university students and randomly assign them to one of three six-month groups (monthly in-person health talks and weekly emailed tips alone; those activities plus biweekly peer-mentor meetings and an online chat group; or those activities plus a custom app delivering weekly lessons, monthly expert live Q\&A, and self-tracking tools). We will measure weight, body mass index (BMI), and scores on standard questionnaires for depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and life satisfaction (SWLS) at baseline, three months and six months to compare the effectiveness of each approach. By identifying which combination of face-to-face support and digital tools produces the greatest improvements, we aim to inform low-cost, scalable programs to help students maintain a healthy weight and emotional well-being.

Conditions

• Depression - Major Depressive Disorder
• Psychological Well Being
• Obesity Prevention

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Peer Support Intervention	In addition to all components of Standard Health Education, participants join biweekly, small-group meetings (6-8 peers) facilitated by trained upper-year student mentors who guide goal-setting, experience sharing, and mutual accountability. A moderated online chat forum provides daily encouragement, peer-to-peer Q\&A, and group reminders, distinguishing this arm by its structured social support network.
BEHAVIORAL	Peer Support and eHealth Intervention	This arm integrates the full Peer Support Intervention with a custom mobile/web application that delivers weekly, interactive modules on nutrition, exercise, and mental health; offers in-app self-monitoring tools for weight, dietary intake, and mood; and hosts monthly live Q\&A webinars with clinical nutritionists and mental health professionals. The combination of real-time peer interaction and scalable digital content differentiates it as a multifaceted, blended-delivery intervention.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-11-02
• Primary completion: 2025-04-30
• Completion: 2025-05-05
• First posted: 2025-05-13
• Last updated: 2026-01-08

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China