Duration of Treatment in a Weight Loss Program Using a Mobile App is Associated with Successful Weight Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose

We aimed to explore the independent factors associated with successful weight loss using a mobile app during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients and Methods

For this retrospective cohort study, we collected data from 45 adults in a weight loss program using a mobile app. We defined successful weight loss as a weight reduction by ≥ 5% of the baseline weight. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to assess potential factors influencing successful weight loss.

Results

All subjects showed a mean 4.1 ± 4.4 kg reduction of baseline weight after using the app for a mean duration of 11 weeks (P < 0.001). Subjects in the successful weight loss group displayed a longer duration of treatment (14.6 ± 6.5 weeks vs 6.9 ± 6.0 weeks, P < 0.001), greater number of dietary records (109.2 ± 84.7 vs 54.7 ± 58.8, P = 0.002), and greater number of outpatient visits (6.1 ± 2.7 vs 3.7 ± 2.3, P < 0.001) than those in the unsuccessful weight loss group. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that duration of treatment was an independent factor associated with successful weight loss (odds ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.41, P = 0.003).

Conclusion

In a weight management program using a mobile app during the COVID-19 pandemic, the duration of treatment was found to be an independent factor of successful weight loss.

Keywords:

• weight loss
• mobile app
• person-to-person feedback
• COVID-19
• diet tracking
• real-life practice

Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

The study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki. The Institutional Review Board of the Taichung Veterans General Hospital approved the protocol (ethical approval code: CE21241B) and waived the need for informed consent due to the retrospective collection of data. Anonymous medical record data were obtained from the Clinical Informatics Research & Development Center of Taichung Veterans General Hospital after delinking the identification code.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (grant number TCVGH-1103503C) and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (grant number MOST 110-2314-B-075A-004-MY3). The funders had no role in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.