Research

Adherence

Combining a web-based weight management program with basic nurse support (3 sessions over 3 months) produces superior 12-month weight loss compared to web-based intervention alone, usual care, or regular nurse support (7 sessions over 6 months).

To lose more weight, combine a structured online weight loss program with a few brief check-ins with a nurse. Specifically, aim for three short support sessions (face-to-face, phone, or email) within the first three months. This 'basic support' approach was found to be more effective than receiving no support, receiving only the online program, or receiving frequent, long-term support. Focus on using the online tools for weekly weighing and goal setting, as adherence to these tasks was strongly linked to greater weight loss.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
At 12 months mean weight loss was: usual care group (n = 43) 2.44 kg; web-based only group (n = 45) 2.30 kg; basic nurse support group (n = 44) 4.31 kg; regular nurse support group (n = 47) 2.50 kg.
Lucy Yardley et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2014

Why this rating

It is a randomized controlled feasibility trial with a small sample size (n=179) and protocol deviations in two practices, limiting statistical power and generalizability.

Source

Randomised controlled feasibility trial of a web-based weight management intervention with nurse support for obese patients in primary care

Lucy Yardley et al. · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2014

DOI 10.1186/1479-5868-11-67

rct · n=179Cited 87×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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