Research
Adherence
Adding complex goal-setting (Achieve) and nutrition (Nourish) modules to a basic weight loss program significantly reduces user engagement and retention compared to the basic program alone.
Keep digital weight loss programs simple. Adding too many modules or complex goal-setting features can overwhelm users and reduce engagement. A basic, focused program often yields better adherence than a complex, multi-module one.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
All of the significant treatment effects and interactions with treatment indicated that the basic Balance intervention produced substantially higher initial engagement rates than the others... substantially fewer participants met criteria for engagement in the other interventions.
Why this rating
RCT with clear engagement metrics, though engagement was defined dichotomously.
Source
Reach, Engagement, and Retention in an Internet-Based Weight Loss Program in a Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trial
Russell E. Glasgow et al. · Journal of Medical Internet Research · 2007
DOI 10.2196/jmir.9.2.e11
rct · n=2311Cited 223×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Personalized direct mail invitations significantly increase enrollment rates in internet-based weight loss programs compared to general newsletter announcements.Good
- Males, smokers, and individuals with higher estimated medical costs (RxRisk) are less likely to enroll in internet-based weight loss programs than females, nonsmokers, and lower-risk individuals.Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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