Research on the Needs, Feasibility, and Intervention Effects of AI Health Coach-based Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) in Weight Management for Overweight/Obese Adults
Research on the Needs, Feasibility, and Intervention Effects of AI Health Coach-based Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) in Weight Management for Overweight/Obese Adults
This pilot study evaluates the needs, feasibility, and preliminary effects of an artificial intelligence (AI) health coach-based just-in-time adaptive intervention for weight management in adults with overweight or obesity.
Participants receive a wearable device and use a WeChat-based platform during the intervention period. The system collects wearable data and self-reported information, and provides timely behavior-change support related to physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, diet self-monitoring, and weight-management self-regulation. The AI health coach provides conversational support and personalized suggestions based on predefined intervention rules and participant inputs.
The main purpose of this study is to assess whether this AI-supported intervention is feasible and acceptable for adults with overweight or obesity. The study also explores changes in weight-related outcomes, health behaviors, self-efficacy, sleep, and quality of life before and after the intervention.
Overweight and obesity are common chronic health problems that require sustained support for daily behavior change. Digital health interventions may help extend weight-management support into everyday life, but many existing programs rely on generic education, retrospective feedback, or burdensome manual self-monitoring. This study evaluates an AI health coach-based just-in-time adaptive intervention designed to provide timely and individualized support for weight-management behaviors.
This is a single-arm pilot study conducted among adults with overweight or obesity. Participants use a wearable device and a WeChat-based intervention platform during the study period. The intervention combines passive wearable sensing, participant-reported dietary self-monitoring, rule-based just-in-time intervention triggers, and an AI conversational health coach. Intervention content focuses on physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep-related routines, dietary self-monitoring, and self-regulation for weight management.
The AI health coach provides conversational guidance, encouragement, and behavior-change suggestions. Intervention messages are generated or selected based on participant data and predefined rules, with the goal of delivering support at moments when participants may benefit from timely prompts or feedback.
The study evaluates feasibility and acceptability indicators, including wearable use, participant engagement, dietary self-monitoring, and interaction with the AI health coach. Preliminary intervention effects are explored by comparing baseline and post-intervention measures, including weight-related outcomes, body composition, physical activity, sleep, eating-related self-efficacy, and quality of life. The findings will inform the refinement of AI-supported just-in-time adaptive interventions for future controlled trials in weight management.
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