the social pounds off digitally (social pod) study

Conditions: Obesity

Summary: smartphones have the capability to monitor health-related behaviors (exercise, diet, etc.) and provide social support which has the potential to play a powerful role in health promotion. the objective of this study is to refine and pilot test the social pod app for personalized health monitoring and interaction founded on a combination of social networks, recommender systems, motivational research, and health behavior theory. the aim of our proposed project is to conduct a 3-month pilot rct among overweight and obese adults (n=150) comparing a theory-based podcast (tbp) plus self-monitoring using a commercially-available calorie and weight tracking app (current most popular diet self-monitoring method) versus tbp plus self-monitoring and social support/incentive points for participating with the social pod app (tbp+social pod).

objectives and significance. smartphones have the capability to monitor health-related behaviors (exercise, diet, etc.) and provide social support which has the potential to play a powerful role in health promotion. the objective of this study is to refine and pilot test the social pod app for personalized health monitoring and interaction founded on a combination of social networks, recommender systems, motivational research, and health behavior theory. currently, we are recruiting for usability testing among obese and overweight (bmi \>25 kg/m2) adults (n=20) with our basic social pod app. our proposed project, which seeks to supplement our current line of research investigating mhealth interventions for overweight and obese adults, has two aims: aim 1: refine our intelligent social agent mobile app (social pod) based on results from our usability testing and develop new components (i.e., incentive system) for use in a 3-month randomized controlled pilot trial (rct). aim 2: conduct a 3-month pilot rct among overweight and obese adults (n=150) comparing a theory-based podcast (tbp) plus self-monitoring using a commercially-available calorie and weight tracking app (current most popular diet self-monitoring method)9 versus tbp plus self-monitoring and social support/incentive points for participating with the social pod app (tbp+social pod). once the final intervention is developed through aim 1 including the incentive system, we will recruit 150 overweight adult android smartphone owners (bmi 25-49.9 kg/m2; age 18-65; \>30% aa) to participate in a 3-month pilot of our enhanced intervention. detecting differences in weight among the two groups is our primary research goal.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * overweight or obese (body mass index between 25 and 49.9 kg/m2) * own and android phone or tablet exclusion criteria: * are currently pregnant * are younger than 18 or older than 65 years of age * are unable to attend 3 meetings at the university of south carolina * don't have access to the internet and a computer * don't have access to a scale for self-monitoring weight * aren't willing to be randomized to one of the two groups * have a psychiatric disease, drug or alcohol dependency, or uncontrolled thyroid condition * have a major health condition, such as heart conditions, diabetes, and past incidence of stroke * have an eating disorder * currently participating in a weight loss program or taking weight loss medications