Research
Adherence
Web-based interventions for weight loss maintenance are significantly more effective than control or minimal intervention groups in preventing weight regain.
To maintain weight loss, use a web-based program that offers ongoing support and monitoring. These programs are significantly more effective than doing nothing in preventing weight regain.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
There was a significant difference in the change in weight between the two groups post-intervention, with less weight re-gained in the web-based programme (WMD -0.30 [-0.34,-0.26] Z = 13.10 [P < 0.000 01]).
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of RCTs with significant homogeneity (I2 = 0%), indicating consistent results across studies.
Source
Effectiveness of web‐based interventions in achieving weight loss and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review with meta‐analysis
Melinda Neve et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2009
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-789x.2009.00646.x
Meta-analysis · 18 studiesCited 467×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Web-based interventions that include enhanced features such as behavioral therapy, human email counseling, or automated feedback achieve significantly greater weight loss compared to education-only web-based programs or control groups.Moderate
- Web-based interventions alone do not significantly differ from control or minimal intervention groups in achieving weight loss, unless they include enhanced behavioral features.Moderate
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