A Technology-Based Intervention to Address Obesity in College Students
Creators: name: Campbell, Christina M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020

description: Obesity is one of the most significant health issues in the United States. Multiple chronic illnesses and an increase in all-cause mortality are associated with obesity. Additionally, obesity contributes to decreased quality of life, added healthcare costs, and overutilization of scarce healthcare resources. Obesity is prevalent in all age groups, including college-age students. College students face many obstacles in achieving or maintaining a healthy weight and adopting healthy lifestyle choices. Medical and nursing providers in college health clinics often have limited time and resources to provide adequate support to students who desire to make lifestyle changes. Since college-age students are avid users of social media and mobile technology, a technology-based intervention is appropriate and convenient. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a technology-based weight loss and healthy lifestyle promotion intervention for college students. The objectives were to: 1) decrease Body Mass Index (BMI), 2) lower blood pressure (BP), 3) improve healthy lifestyle behaviors, and 4) increase perception of healthy lifestyle benefits and 5) reduce perception of barriers in college student participants. The Health Promotion Model was used to guide this project (Pender, 2011). The intervention was an 8-week program through which students received healthy lifestyle information twice weekly in a private Instagram group and coaching via text messaging two times a week. Measures included BMI, BP, and scores on the Health iv Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) II (Murdaugh et al., 2019), an investigator-developed benefits/barriers scale, and a program satisfaction survey. The participants met with the investigator three times (Weeks 1, 4, and 8) and had height, weight, BMI, and blood pressure recorded. At Weeks 1 and 8, the HPLP II and the benefits/barriers scale were administered and a satisfaction survey was delivered via Survey Monkey at the conclusion of the program. Seven participants completed the program. The participants had a mean decrease in weight of 3.1 pounds, a mean reduction in BMI of 0.6, a mean decrease in systolic BP by 4.3 mm/hg and diastolic BP by 0.3mm/hg. The participants improved their HPLP II scores by an average of 15.1 points and their Benefits/Barriers score by 6.4 points. The seven participants gave an average score of four out of five (“agree”) on the following post-satisfaction survey items: 1) feeling healthier; 2) recommend the program to others; 3) useful information. Suggestions on how to improve the program were to have more in-person meetings and to have a longer program duration. The short duration of this program and the small number of participants were limitations to this project. However, overall weight loss, decreased blood pressure, increased healthy lifestyle behaviors, improved perceived benefits/barriers, and positive satisfaction scores were found despite these limitations. This program was inexpensive, easy to implement, well-received by the students, and can be replicated in other college settings.