Development and Implementation of a Tailored Self-assessment Tool in an Internet-based Weight Loss Maintenance...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Interventions

Background:

• Internet-based interventions offer scalable dissemination of health programs.
• The Weight Loss Maintenance Trial (WLM) evaluated long-term weight management strategies.
• Challenges exist in replicating client/counselor interactions online.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a highly interactive self-assessment tool for the WLM internet intervention arm.
• To assess the utility and engagement of the Tailored Self-Assessment (TSA) tool.

Main Methods:

• The Tailored Self-Assessment (TSA) was an interactive website tool for participants in the WLM internet arm.
• TSA provided personalized progress review and suggested action plans.
• Reminder messages prompted participant engagement with the TSA.

Main Results:

• The TSA was completed 800 times by 348 randomized participants over 28 months.
• 53% of participants used the TSA at least once.
• 72% of TSA users completed it more than once, indicating repeated engagement.

Conclusions:

• Tailored, client-feedback-based strategies delivered via the internet show promise for health behavior change.
• While complex to develop, such online tools are potentially worthwhile for formal testing.
• Internet interventions can impact health behavior by simulating personal counseling.