Effects of Journaling on Weight Loss

This is a randomized controlled trial with enhanced usual care treatment control. The aim is to determine the effects of journaling and use of resource website on weight loss. There will be two groups of 55 participants each. The intervention condition will be asked to record daily weight, physical activity steps taken and pre-portioned food items and to complete two daily journaling activities. Participants will also receive weekly tracing data, a weekly blog from the principal investigator and have access to a weight control website. The control group will not have access to the tracking, journaling or website for three months. Investigators hypothesize that a website paired with tracking and journaling will be more effective in helping participants lose weight.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Overweight; Obese
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Tracking; Behavioral: Journaling; Behavioral: Website; Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care

Detailed Description

Participants will call study line given on recruitment materials and be screened over the phone.

Baseline visit:

Individuals who meet the screening criteria will be invited to a one-hour training session about the website and diet plan book. During the training, a coordinator will review the consent form with the participants and ask if they have any questions. The coordinator will take consented individuals' height, weight and blood pressure measurements. Participants will be given a pedometer to use during physical activities and a meal replacement book to use as a resource.

After baseline visit:

All participants will complete surveys online (Demographics, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Motivation, Weight Loss Habits, Medication log, International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and be randomized into one of two groups. The intervention group will be asked to record their weight, physical activity steps, pre-portioned food items and journal entries on a daily basis. The control group will be sent an email informing them they will have access to the tracking, journals and website in three months.

Intervention Group:

Participants will receive daily emails with links to record their weight, physical activity steps and pre-portioned food items; participants will also complete a journaling response to two writing prompts. The emails will contain links to the website to be used as a resource. Every week, participants will enter whether they have an appointment with primary care provider in the next week. Participants will also receive weekly blogs from the principal investigator; participants can opt out of receiving the blog emails at any time. Coordinators will review the database weekly. If a participant has lost ten pounds, they will be emailed to call their doctor since weight loss can affect blood pressure and medication needs. If a participant has an upcoming primary care provider appointment, they will be emailed to print out their tracking graphs (weight, steps taken, meal replacements). Coordinators will also monitor journal responses; coordinators will contact participants who wrote useful entries to ask if the participant's responses can be shared with other participants. Shared posts will be anonymous; only the age of the individual will be given.

Month one and two visits:

Participants from both groups will be asked to come to Hershey Medical Center to have their height, weight and blood pressure measured.

Month three visit:

Participants from both groups will be asked to come to Hershey Medical Center to have their height, weight and blood pressure measured. Prior to their visit, participants will be asked to complete a series of surveys online (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Motivation, Weight Loss Habits, Medication log, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Satisfaction). Participants in the control group will be given a booklet containing the writing prompts, tracking and website address to complete on their own if they so choose.

Participants will be asked if they would like to come back for an optional video interview. The interview will consist of six questions about their experience with the study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033
      • Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 21 to 65 years old
• Body mass index between 27 and 45
• E-mail and Internet access
• Able to read, write, and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Weight loss of more than 5% of current body weight in previous 6 months
• Participated in weight loss research in previous 6 months
• Current use of weight loss medication or program
• History of or scheduled weight loss surgery
• Heart, liver, or kidney failure
• Been told by doctor of heart trouble
• Frequent pains in heart and chest
• Often feel faint or have spells of severe dizziness
• Bone or joint problem that has been or might be aggravated by exercise
• Physical reason for not following activity program
• History of sever cognitive impairment or major psychiatric illness
• Pregnant in previous 6 months, currently or planning to become pregnant in next 3 months
• Moving in next 6 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tracking + Journaling + Website; In addition to standard care, participants will complete daily tracking and journaling and receive weekly feedback based on their individual entries.	Behavioral: Tracking; Participants will record their daily weight, physical activity steps and meal replacements online; Behavioral: Journaling; Participants will journal to two online writing prompts: one on positive focus and one on goal setting; Behavioral: Website; Participants will have access to resource website with stories and tips from people who successfully lost weight, blogs from investigators, quotes from other participants.; Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care; Participants will receive standard care of monthly height, weight and blood pressure measurements. Participants will also receive a pedometer and a diet plan book on pre-portioned items.
Active Comparator: Enhanced Usual Care; Participants receive standard care	Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Care; Participants will receive standard care of monthly height, weight and blood pressure measurements. Participants will also receive a pedometer and a diet plan book on pre-portioned items.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight	Weight will be measured by study staff using a Tanita BWB 800S Digital Scale.	3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Blood Pressure	Blood pressure will be measured by study staff using an automatic blood pressure monitor.	3 months
Height	Height will be measured using a portable stadiometer.	3 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sociodemographics and tobacco use	Age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, smoking status and other demographics will be measured by self-report	3 months
Three-factor Eating Questionnaire	Questionnaire asks participants about how their dietary restraint in specific circumstances	3 months
Motivation	Questionnaire asks participants to gauge their motivation to lose weight.	3 months
Weight Loss Habits	Questionnaire asks participants how often they use specific habits to lose weight	3 months
Blood Pressure Medication	Blood pressure medication names, doses and frequency measured by self-report	3 months
International Physical Activity Questionnaire	Questionnaire asks participants to estimate the frequency and duration of specific physical activities	3 months
Satisfaction Survey	Questionnaire asks participants about their satisfaction with specific aspects of the study	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Christopher Sciamanna, MD, MPH, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: August 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 1, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 6, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): August 9, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 4, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 31, 2013
• Last Verified: January 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Weight loss; Web-based; Journaling; Body Mass Index between 27 and 45
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight; Body Weight Changes; Weight Loss; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: 39952EP