Daily Weight Feedback for Wheelchair Users to Promote Weight Loss
Condition: Overweight and Obesity; Depression
MeSH terms: Overweight; Weight Loss
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goals of the proposed study are to test the usability, feasibility and preliminary
      efficacy of the E-Scale with wheelchair users. The E-scale was developed as a weight
      monitoring technology for wheelchair users. Up to fifteen overweight or obese wheelchair
      users will be enrolled in a 13 week study that includes standard behavioral treatment (SBT)
      for weight loss, which focuses on diet, physical activity, and behavioral strategies (e.g.,
      goal setting, self-monitoring) to support lifestyle changes specifically for people with
      mobility impairments. The subjects will also be provided the E-scale to track their weight
      daily. The outcome measure include usefulness (subjective feedback from a survey about the
      program/E-scale), feasibility (accuracy and repeatable measurements from the E-scale) and
      efficacy (improvements in weight and other measures of health) of the weight loss program
      coupled with the E-scale at the end of 13 weeks. The primary hypothesis is that the E-scale
      coupled with the weight loss intervention will result in significant improvements in weight,
      abdominal girth, body fat percentage, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression
      Scale (CES-D).The results may inform the refinement of this technology to increase its
      applicability for wheelchair users to independently monitor their weight in their own homes
      while attempting to lose weight.
    

Detailed description: 
      Wheelchair users have about twice the prevalence of obesity than the general population.
      There is also very little or no technology to which they have access to measure their weight
      frequently in their homes. Research however, has shown that monitoring your body weight
      frequently (i.e. daily) yields significantly better weight loss and weight maintenance
      results. This research has never included wheelchair users because they have not had access
      to technology to be able to measure their weight daily. The E-scale was developed as a weight
      monitoring technology for wheelchair users and has been tested for precision and accuracy in
      the laboratory. The goal of this study is to determine the usefulness, feasibility and
      efficacy of the E-scale system coupled with a standardized behavioral treatment weight-loss
      intervention for overweight or obese wheelchair users.

      Up to fifteen overweight or obese wheelchair users will be enrolled in a 13 week study that
      includes standard behavioral treatment (SBT) for weight loss, which focuses on diet, physical
      activity, and behavioral strategies (e.g., goal setting, self-monitoring) to support
      lifestyle changes specifically for people with mobility impairments. The subjects will also
      be provided the E-scale to track their weight daily. The outcome measure include usefulness
      (subjective feedback from a survey about the program/E-scale), feasibility (accuracy and
      repeatable measurements from the E-scale) and efficacy (improvements in weight and other
      measures of health) of the weight loss program coupled with the E-scale at the end of 13
      weeks.

      Study hypotheses are:

      Hypothesis 1: The E-scale will be useful based on self-reported feedback from wheelchair
      users by more than 50% stating that the E-scale is easy to use, their preferred weight
      monitoring system, them feeling that they would use the E-scale if it was available for them
      to purchase.

      Hypothesis 2: The E-scale will be feasible by providing accurate (+/- 2 lbs. from a
      calibrated scale measurement) and repeatable (<3lbs difference from day-to-day) weight
      measurements and by the wheelchair users continuing to use the scale more than 70% of the
      days of the study.

      Hypothesis 3: The E-scale coupled with the weight loss intervention will demonstrate efficacy
      by wheelchair users having significant improvements in weight, abdominal girth, body fat
      percentage, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).

      This research will determine whether wheelchair users find the E-scale to be useful and
      feasible as a way to monitor their weight in their homes. It will also show whether
      wheelchair users, like the general population, have better weight loss outcomes when they
      monitor their weight daily. This could lead to refinement of the E-scale and a push for more
      available technology for wheelchair users to monitor their weight at home which could in turn
      lead to a decrease in the prevalence of obesity among wheelchair users.
    

Intervention name(s): E-Scale
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): Daily bodyweight system used under legs of bed
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: obesity; overweight; wheelchair