Adherence
Using a smartphone application for self-monitoring of diet and physical activity significantly increases adherence to weight loss interventions compared to website-based or paper diary methods, resulting in greater mean weight loss over a 6-month period.
To lose more weight, use a smartphone app for daily food and activity logging instead of a paper diary or website. The app's convenience, instant feedback, and text message reminders help you stick with the habit longer, which directly leads to greater weight loss over 6 months.
Adherence was statistically significantly higher in the smartphone group with a mean of 92 days (SD 67) of dietary recording compared with 35 days (SD 44) in the website group and 29 days (SD 39) in the diary group (P<.001)... mean weight change at 6 months was -4.6 kg (95% CI –6.2 to –3.0) in the smartphone app group, –2.9 kg (95% CI –4.7 to –1.1) in the diary group, and –1.3 kg (95% CI –2.7 to 0.1) in the website group.
Why this rating
It is a pilot randomized controlled trial with a small sample size (N=128) and high attrition, not powered to detect small differences in weight change, though adherence differences were significant.
Source
Adherence to a Smartphone Application for Weight Loss Compared to Website and Paper Diary: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Michelle C. Carter et al. · Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2013
DOI 10.2196/jmir.2283
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