Efficacy of a web-based adaptation of the Diabetes Prevention Program with online nutritional counselling for weight loss during the holiday season among adults with overweight or obesity: a pilot randomised controlled trial (Preprint)
BACKGROUND The holiday season is considered a high-risk period for weight gain, especially for people with overweight or obesity. However, few evaluated interventions have focused on preventing weight gain during this period and, to our knowledge, none have intended to treat obesity. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of a web-based intervention adapted from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP-web) for weight loss in Mexican adults with overweight or obesity at 3 months compared to a waiting list control group. METHODS A pilot randomised controlled trial with parallel groups (DPP-web and waiting list) targeting adults with overweight or obesity. Participants were recruited using Facebook ads. A web-based app was designed for the delivery of the Cognitive Behavioural Sessions (CBS) of the DPP-web, and Facebook video calls were used for weekly online nutrition counselling sessions (NCS) by a trained dietitian. The primary outcome was the change in body weight at 3 months. The secondary outcomes were the changes in other anthropometric variables, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, depression score and health-related quality of life scores at 3 months. All measurements were conducted in a university clinic by the same technician, who was blinded to group allocation. The study was conducted between 24 September 2018 and 20 January 2019, which allowed the evaluation of the effect of the program during the holiday season. RESULTS A total of 30 participants aged 35.2 (SD 10.9) years and with a mean BMI of 33.8 (SD 5.58) kg/m2 were randomized (15 DPP-web, 15 waiting list). A retention rate of 80% was observed at 3 months (12 DPP-web, 12 waiting list). All 30 participants who started the intervention were included in the intention to treat analysis. An average weight loss of 1.57 (SD 3.54) kg was observed in the DPP-web group, compared to an average weight gain of 2.18 (SD 4.22) kg in the control group (P=.01). The estimated difference between groups at 3 months was 3.75 kg (95% CI 0.84, 6.67). CONCLUSIONS The DPP-web supported with online nutrition counselling has a significant effect on body weight, specifically preventing weight gain in adults with overweight or obesity during the holiday season. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03629301.