Peer-Supported E-Health Intervention for College Student Weight Management and Mental Health

Jinan University Guangzhou

Status: Completed

Conditions: Obesity Prevention; Psychological Well Being; Depression - Major Depressive Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Peer Support Intervention; Behavioral: Peer Support and eHealth Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06966661

2025LCLL-057

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will test whether adding peer support and online education can help college students manage their weight and improve their mood: we plan to enroll 300 full-time university students and randomly assign them to one of three six-month groups (monthly in-person health talks and weekly emailed tips alone; those activities plus biweekly peer-mentor meetings and an online chat group; or those activities plus a custom app delivering weekly lessons, monthly expert live Q&A, and self-tracking tools). We will measure weight, body mass index (BMI), and scores on standard questionnaires for depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and life satisfaction (SWLS) at baseline, three months and six months to compare the effectiveness of each approach. By identifying which combination of face-to-face support and digital tools produces the greatest improvements, we aim to inform low-cost, scalable programs to help students maintain a healthy weight and emotional well-being.

Enrollment: 216 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Full-time undergraduate students aged 18-25 years
• Baseline BMI ≥ 24.0 kg/m²
• Able to provide informed consent
• Owns a smartphone or computer with internet access
• Willing to attend monthly lectures and complete online modules

Exclusion criteria

• Current participation in another weight-management or psychological intervention program
• Diagnosis of an eating disorder, severe psychiatric illness, or medical condition affecting weight (e.g., hyperthyroidism)
• Pregnant or planning pregnancy during the study period
• Any physical limitation precluding participation in light-to-moderate physical activity
• Inability to communicate in the language of intervention materials

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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216 participants in 3 patient groups

Control Arm

No Intervention group

Peer Support Arm

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer Support Intervention

Peer Support eHealth Arm

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Peer Support and eHealth Intervention