The SMARTER Study

STUDY BASICS

Are you interested in weight loss, are 18 years of age or older, and own and regularly use a smartphone? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study to help learn more about the effect of feedback messages on weight loss. This study is 12 months and requires four visits. A fitness tracker, scale, and compensation will be provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

People who are overweight are at an increased risk of developing health problems like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and others. Using a smartphone app to keep track of diet and exercise can help people lose weight, but there has been little research about the effectiveness of these types of apps. The purpose of this study is to help researchers find out if the combination of a smartphone app plus feedback messages related to diet, weight, and physical activity can help people lose more weight than they do with a smartphone app alone. Researchers hope their findings will lead to a better understanding of how smartphones and other technologies can help people lose weight in the future.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Ages 18 and up
• Are overweight or obese
• Body mass index (BMI) is greater than 27 and less than 43 (BMI calculator: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm)
• Not diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• Currently own and regularly use a smartphone
• No physical issues (injuries, medical conditions) that would prevent moderate exercise

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Participation involves completing online screening questionnaires to find out if you are eligible for the study. If eligible after screening, participants will be consented to join the study. Participants will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) into one of two intervention groups. Everyone will be asked to self-monitor food and drink intake, wear a fitness tracker, and weigh themselves for 12 months. The fitness tracker and scale will be provided by the study. In addition to the above, one group will receive feedback messages based on what they are recording. All participants will attend a baseline, 6-, and 12-month in-person assessment in addition to a one-on-one session.