Self-Weighing: an Ecological Momentary Assessment (SWEMA)

Self-weighing's Psychological Effects: a Randomized Controlled Trial Using Ecological Momentary Assessment

The primary objective of this study is to experimentally test the momentary and more distal psychological effects of daily self weighing as compared to an active control group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Daily Self-weighing; Daily Temperature-taking
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: daily self-weighing; Behavioral: daily temperature-taking

Detailed Description

Two significant public health problems, obesity and eating disorders, are prevalent during emerging adulthood, a unique stage of life between ages 18 and 25. Over half of emerging adults experience weight gain and/or disordered eating (e.g. overly restrictive dieting, binge eating); both of which contribute to obesity. Because many emerging adults attend college, the college community represents a viable population for implementing interventions to prevent weight gain, while not triggering disordered eating.

A promising strategy for preventing weight gain during college is daily self-weighing, an example of behavioral self-monitoring, an evidence-based strategy for weight control. Self-monitoring is fundamental to behavior change: feedback allows the user to evaluate progress in relation to a goal and modify behavior. Despite self-monitoring being recommended, some evidence suggests that self-monitoring strategies, self-weighing in particular, may have unintended psychological consequences; the concern being that negative mood states could precipitate disordered eating. Alternatively, other evidence suggests positive psychological outcomes related to daily self-weighing in young adults.

Technological advances have allowed for users to track personal health information in real time. Given that 60% of U.S. adults track weight, diet, or exercise, and 92% of adults aged 18-34 own a smartphone, electronic self-monitoring is feasible in this population. What is less known is individuals' psychological and behavioral response to self-monitoring. This original, important study will contribute to the fields of obesity and eating disorders and experimentally test the psychological effects of this daily weight-control intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 55
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Delaware
    • Newark, Delaware, United States, 19711
      • University of Delaware

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 26 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female
• Between the ages of 18 and 26
• UD student
• Owns a smart phone
• If participant does not currently have an eating disorder or has never had one in the past

Exclusion Criteria:

• If participant currently has an eating disorder or has had one in the past
• If participant answers "yes" to 3 or more items in SCOFF

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Daily Self-Weighing Group; Participants will be provided with a scale and instructions necessary to engage in daily self-weighing, first thing in the morning for the next three months. Height and weight will be measured using standard procedures Questionnaires will be administered at baseline and EOT: Sociodemographic questions (i.e. age, race/ethnicity, self-weighing frequency, weight goals will be collected at baseline. To assess factors that may modify reaction to intervention condition,a questionnaire will assess participant's eating attitudes, behaviors, and perception of their body. Questionnaires (baseline, end of Week 1, 2, 3, 4 and EOT): In order to compare results with published studies assessing constructs over varying time frames, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression will be measured at baseline, weekly for the first month, and again at EOT.	Behavioral: daily self-weighing; Participants are provided with a wifi-enabled scale and asked to weigh themselves daily, first thing in the morning.
Active Comparator: Daily Temperature-Taking Group; Participants will be provided with a thermometer and instructions necessary to engage in daily temperature-taking, first thing in the morning for the next three months. Height and weight will be measured using standard procedures Questionnaires will be administered at baseline and EOT: Sociodemographic questions (i.e. age, race/ethnicity, self-weighing frequency, weight goals will be collected at baseline. To assess factors that may modify reaction to intervention condition,a questionnaire will assess participant's eating attitudes, behaviors, and perception of their body. Questionnaires (baseline, end of Week 1, 2, 3, 4 and EOT): In order to compare results with published studies assessing constructs over varying time frames, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression will be measured at baseline, weekly for the first month, and again at EOT.	Behavioral: daily temperature-taking; Participants are provided with a wifi-enabled thermometer and asked to take their temperature daily, first thing in the morning.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
psychological response to daily self-weighing	Daily self-weighing will result in significantly greater reactivity than daily-temperature-taking; There will be no significance in mood ratings between daily self-weighing and daily temperature-taking groups for EMA recordings later in the day.; The daily self-weighing group will report significantly more weight control behaviors at the end of the day as compared to the daily temperature-taking group.	3 Months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Identify moderators of response to daily self-weighing in a college-aged female population	Participants with lower baseline dietary restraint scores will experience significantly greater success in preventing weight gain over 3 months in response to daily self-weighing as compared to daily temperature-taking, in comparison to those with higher baseline dietary restraint scores; Participants with higher baseline body satisfaction, lower body consciousness, and higher-self esteem will have significantly more favorable reactions to daily self-weighing, both in terms of momentary mood and prevention of weight gain over 3 months; Baseline weight status will moderate the effectiveness of daily self-weighing as a weight gain prevention tool, such that it will work significantly better for overweight patients.	3 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Delaware

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 20, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): December 29, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 1, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 1, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): September 6, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 4, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2018
• Last Verified: October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: obesity; mood; weight gain; emerging adulthood; Ecological Momentary Assessment; self-weighing; eating disorders
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight
• Other Study ID Numbers: 17A00813

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Yes

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No