The daily Self-Weighing for Obesity Management in Primary Care Study: Rationale, design and methodology

Gareth R Dutton; Amber W Kinsey; Carrie R Howell; Maria Pisu; Amy E Dobelstein; David B Allison; Pengcheng Xun; David A Levitsky; Kevin Fontaine

doi:10.1016/j.cct.2021.106463

The daily Self-Weighing for Obesity Management in Primary Care Study: Rationale, design and methodology

Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 Aug:107:106463. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106463. Epub 2021 May 31.

Authors

Gareth R Dutton¹, Amber W Kinsey², Carrie R Howell³, Maria Pisu⁴, Amy E Dobelstein⁵, David B Allison⁶, Pengcheng Xun⁷, David A Levitsky⁸, Kevin Fontaine⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA. Electronic address: gdutton@uabmc.edu.
² Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA. Electronic address: akinsey@uabmc.edu.
³ Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA. Electronic address: chowell@uabmc.edu.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA. Electronic address: mpisu@uabmc.edu.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35205, USA. Electronic address: adobelst@uabmc.edu.
⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University-Bloomington, 1025 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. Electronic address: allison@iu.edu.
⁷ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University-Bloomington, 1025 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
⁸ Division of Nutritional Sciences, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, 244 Garden Ave, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Electronic address: dal4@cornell.edu.
⁹ Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA. Electronic address: kfontai1@uab.edu.

Abstract

Background Daily self-weighing (DSW) may be an effective harm-reduction intervention to disrupt continued weight gain. Self-Weighing for Obesity Management in Primary Care (SWOP) is a 24-month randomized controlled trial in 400 adults with obesity (BMI: kg/m² ≥ 30) receiving primary care through a clinical network affiliated with an academic medical center. Objective To test DSW as a potentially scalable way to deter age-related weight gain among primary care patients with obesity. Methods Randomized-controlled trial with two conditions: DSW (instruction to weigh daily and provision of a web-enabled digital scale with graphical weight feedback) or Standard Care (receive a monetary gift card equivalent to value of the scale). Both groups receive standardized weight management educational material. SWOP will test the causal effect of assignment to DSW (Aim 1) and adherence to DSW (Aim 2) on weight (primary outcome) and adoption of weight management practices (secondary outcomes), as well as evaluate the cost-effectiveness of DSW compared to standard care (Aim 3). Findings may inform clinical guidelines for weight management by providing evidence that DSW attenuates continued age-related weight gain among adults with obesity. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04044794).

Keywords: Harm reduction; Primary care; Weight management.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adult
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Humans
Obesity / therapy
Obesity Management*
Primary Health Care
Weight Gain

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04044794

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data

Grants and funding