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Abstract
The feasibility and efficacy of Internet treatment programs for overweight and obese people have been demonstrated in a series of randomized trials. Initial studies examined various approaches to Internet behavioral treatment. Other studies have examined delivery of group behavioral counseling using Internet chat rooms, using the Internet for long-term maintenance of weight loss, and enhancing motivation in Internet programs. These interventions have produced weight losses of 4–7 kg over 6 months to 1 year when support via e-mail, automated messages, or chat rooms is provided. Outcomes and lessons learned with application to the treatment of substance use and misuse are provided.
THE AUTHORS
Deborah F. Tate, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health and the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is appointed in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, the Department of Nutrition, and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her main research area is in developing alternatives to traditional clinic-based behavioral treatments to prevent and treat overweight and obesity. Tate's research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Diabetes Association, and others, has focused on identifying effective uses of the Internet and other technologies for delivery of sustainable behavior change interventions. She is a program area leader in the University of North Carolina Interdisciplinary Obesity Center and teaches an advanced doctoral course on the application of behavioral theory and empirical evidence in developing innovative health promotion and disease prevention interventions.