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For Taking Weight Off, Logging On Works
For taking weight off, logging on works, Brown researcher says
Published in the March 7 issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association, Deborah Tate’s study lays the groundwork for
research on the best methods to help people lose weight online.
By Kristen Cole
The Internet appears to be a good way to deliver structured
behavioral weight loss programs, according to a Brown study — the
first to examine the use of information technology to aid weight
loss.
Dieters who received weekly advice from behavioral therapists on
the Internet lost three times as much weight in six months as
those who just had access to information about diet and exercise
on the Internet — 9 pounds compared to 3 pounds.
Participants in both groups followed the same pattern: They lost
weight during the first three months, when they most frequently
logged on to the study’s Web site, and they maintained their
weight loss during the next three months, when their Internet use
declined.
"Logging on more frequently was associated with better weight
loss in both groups," said lead researcher Deborah F. Tate,
assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the
Medical School.
"But more importantly than just logging on to a Web site is what
type of program you tap into. Our study shows that a structured
program with continued contact works better than just giving
people access to information online."
Published in the March 7 issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association, Tate’s study lays the groundwork for
research on the best methods to help people lose weight online.
Ninety-one people ages 18 to 60, who were on average 30 pounds
overweight, began the study; 65 participants completed it.
Half were assigned to the "behavior therapy group." They received
feedback from a trained therapist through e-mail and had access
to an electronic bulletin board for support from their fellow
participants, and to information resources about diet and
exercise. Half were assigned to the "education group" and had
only the Internet information resources about diet and exercise.
Many participants achieved a standard weight-loss benchmark.
Forty-five percent of those in the behavior therapy group and 22
percent of those in the education group lost at least 5 percent
of their initial body weight — a loss that has been shown to
produce measurable health benefits.
Although the weight losses in the study do not appear to rival
clinical face-to-face programs, which typically produce 20-pound
losses in six months, the Internet may help reach people who
otherwise would not participate in those programs, said Tate, who
is based at The Miriam Hospital.
"It is especially important to look for new methods to help
people with weight loss given that more than 54 percent of U.S.
adults are overweight or obese," said Tate. "There are a lot of
people who do not choose to attend face-to-face programs for any
number of reasons, from embarrassment to schedule constraints.
The Internet appears to provide people with an alternative — not
necessarily a better alternative, but an alternative."
The Internet combines the ability to disseminate written
information with the opportunity to interact through e-mail,
bulletin boards or chat rooms. Dieters can also access the Web on
their own schedule. Rapid increases in access to the Internet
have made it a logical mode for intervention: The number of
adults who use the Internet has surged from 9 percent to 56
percent in the past four years, Tate said.
Tate collaborated on the study with Rena R. Wing, professor of
psychiatry and human behavior at the Medical School, and Richard
A. Winett, professor of psychology at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University. The study was supported by a
grant from the Weight Risk Investigators Study Council, a
research division of Knoll Pharmaceutical.
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