mDiet - Ecological Momentary Intervention of Diet Via Mobile Technology

University of California San Diego

Status: Completed

Conditions: Overweight

Treatments: Behavioral: Food Monitoring; Behavioral: Printed Material; Behavioral: Diet Goals via Cell Phone; Behavioral: Weekly Weighing; Device: Text Message; Behavioral: Cell phone will serve as a self monitoring device

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00415870

2005-4148 UCSD Number

1R21CA115615-01A1

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a NCI funded study which will develop and evaluate a cell phone application (mDIET) that can be used as an assessment and intervention tool to improve dietary behaviors and thus reduce weight in overweight and moderately obese (BMI 25-34.9) men and women ages 25-55.

Full description

This research will develop a technologically advanced system for monitoring and intervening on diet behaviors (e.g., food intake, weight). Interventions aimed at dietary change are missing a comparable, portable tool. Mobile technologies can help fill this gap by providing portable connectivity to expert systems that create specific tailored diet goals based on participant profiles. The expert system can 'push' intervention messages throughout the day during critical point-of-decision moments to aid in decision making among users. The portable device can 'pull' information through prompts and easy-to-use recording. This ecological momentary assessment + ecological momentary intervention format may further encourage healthy behaviors by prompting at critical decision points to improve dietary behaviors.

Enrollment: 65 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 25 to 55 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Participants will be included if they:

  • Are age 25-55
  • Are overweight or moderately obese
  • Are with a BMI between 25.0-34.9 (as defined by the NIH report on Obesity (NIH 1998)
  • Are able to read (completion of at least the 6th grade) and speak English
  • Provide consent
  • Do not intend to become pregnant or move out of the county for the duration of the intervention (16 weeks).

• Participants will also be required to have a cell phone that is capable of supporting the mDIET application.

• Participants may be otherwise healthy or have one or more risk factors for CVD, including uncomplicated Type 2 diabetes but will not be enrolled if they have diagnosed CVD.

Exclusion criteria

Participants will be excluded from the study if they have any of the following conditions:

• An eating disorder
• Are currently pregnant
• Have a strict dietary regimen prescribed by their doctor that will not allow them to comply with intervention guidelines related to dietary changes.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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65 participants in 2 patient groups

PACE

Experimental group

Description:

Received text messages and counseling calls

Treatment:

Behavioral: Printed Material

Behavioral: Food Monitoring

Behavioral: Weekly Weighing

Device: Text Message

Behavioral: Diet Goals via Cell Phone

Behavioral: Cell phone will serve as a self monitoring device

Control

No Intervention group