RELAX: A Mobile Application Suite Targeting Obesity and Stress
RELAX: A Mobile Application Suite Targeting Obesity and Stress
This research is being done is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a novel weight loss mobile app that was designed to be less burdensome than traditional weight loss apps.
Obesity and stress are highly comorbid and both increase risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Stress is associated with disinhibited eating, junk food consumption and low consumption of produce and whole grains. Both stress and stress-induced eating are not only associated with obesity but also predict worst outcomes in lifestyle interventions. Stress and stress-induced eating should be targeted in interventions to maximize weight loss; however, this makes for a very intensive intervention. Technology could be leveraged to reduce intervention burden.
In this trial investigators propose to compare the feasibility, usability, acceptability, and burden of an traditional weight loss app that includes diet and physical activity self-monitoring features to an app (Slip Buddy) we developed that focuses on self-monitoring of stress eating. With Slip Buddy, the user is just asked to track overeating episodes, indicating when they are triggered by stress. The majority of weight loss apps are burdensome to users by requiring them to self-monitor diet and exercise. They also ignore major barriers to weight loss, such as stress. This work moves the field forward by addressing user burden and an important barrier to weight loss.
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