Trading pounds for points: Engagement and weight loss in a mobile health intervention.
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Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to describe participant engagement and examine predictors of weight loss and points earned through the point based incentive system of the Social Pounds Off Digitally POD app Materials and methods Overweight and obese adults with Android smartphones tablets body mass index 25 49 9 kg m2 N 24 were recruited for a 3 month weight loss intervention Participants completed a survey assessing demographics and personality and had their weight measured Participants received the content of the intervention via podcasts and used the Social POD app to self monitor diet physical activity and weight The Social POD app contained tracking features in app notifications to track pre set goals for tracking newsfeed for updates on others goal attainment ability to earn and track points for usage exchanged for study provided prizes and a message screen Analyses examined relationships between percent weight loss personality characteristics and total points earned Results A total of 4843 points were earned mean 202 105 points participant Most participants earned all three prizes 62 5 followed by two prizes 21 no prizes 12 5 and one prize 4 Total points earned significantly predicted percent weight loss B 0 02 p 01 and higher conscientiousness significantly predicted greater total points earned B 10 27 p 01 but other personality characteristics assessed did not Conclusion A mobile app yielded moderately high participant engagement as demonstrated by points earned Earning points was significantly associated with percent weight loss and conscientiousness was significantly associated with total points earned Future research should examine whether point systems impact health behavior and weight loss when rewards are discontinued Clinical trial registration number NCT02344836