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Updated: Apr 26, 2026
Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Health-e-call, a smartphone-assisted behavioral obesity treatment: pilot study
1Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University & The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, United States. jthomas4@lifespan.org.
Background:
Individual and group-based behavioral weight loss treatment (BWL) produces average weight loss of 5-10% of initial body weight, which improves health and wellbeing. However, BWL is an intensive treatment that is costly and not widely available. Smartphones may be a useful tool for promoting adherence to key aspects of BWL, such as self-monitoring, thereby facilitating weight loss while reducing the need for intensive in-person contact.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to evaluate smartphones as a method of delivering key components of established and empirically validated behavioral weight loss treatment, with an emphasis on adherence to self-monitoring.
Methods:
Twenty overweight/obese participants (95% women; 85% non-Hispanic White; mean age 53.0, SE 1.9) received 12-24 weeks of behavioral weight loss treatment consisting of smartphone-based self-monitoring, feedback, and behavioral skills training. Participants also received brief weekly weigh-ins and paper weight loss lessons.
Results:
Average weight loss was 8.4kg (SE 0.8kg; 9%, SE 1% of initial body weight) at 12 weeks and 10.9kg (SE 1.1kg; 11%, SE 1% of initial body weight) at 24 weeks. Adherence to the self-monitoring protocol was 91% (SE 3%) during the first 12 weeks and 85% (SE 4%) during the second 12 weeks.
Conclusions:
Smartphones show promise as a tool for delivering key components of BWL and may be particularly advantageous for optimizing adherence to self-monitoring, a cornerstone of BWL.
