Incentivizing Behavior Change Skills to Promote Weight Loss

Incentivizing Behavior Change Skills to Promote Weight Loss

The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of providing incentives to people enrolled in a weight-loss program for dietary self-monitoring and/or interim weight loss.

In this study, community outpatients will participate in an effective, 24-week, low-carbohydrate weight loss program delivered via biweekly group classes. An innovative information technology (IT) solution will collate dietary self-monitoring data (input by patients via a mobile phone dietary application) and weight loss data (input by patients via remote scale). An algorithm will classify participants as achieving adequate or inadequate dietary self-monitoring and weight loss to earn intermittent rewards of varying value in real-time. Participants will be notified of earning rewards via text messaging.

Inclusion Criteria:

• desire to lose weight;
• agree to attend visits per protocol;
• access to telephone and transportation;
• English speaking;
• able to complete study measures;
• smart phone with data and texting plan;
• body mass index 30 kg/m2 or greater

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnancy, breastfeeding, or lack of birth control if premenopausal
• dementia, excessive alcohol use, or psychiatric illness
• weight loss >4.5 kg in month prior to screening
• weight > 380 lb (due to limit of cellular scale)
• enrollment in other weight loss program
• residing in nursing home or receiving home health care
• unable to attend weight loss group at scheduled times
• impaired hearing
• medication other than metformin, incretin mimetics and incretin enhances for type 2 diabetes
• unstable heart disease in 3 months prior to screening
• furosemide 40 mg or higher (or equivalent)
• chronic kidney disease
• 2 or more errors on cognitive screener
• blood pressure ≥160/100 mmHg