Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
Do individual, online motivational interviewing chat sessions enhance weight loss in a group-based, online weight
Delia Smith West1, Jean R Harvey2, Rebecca A Krukowski3
1Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. westds@mailbox.sc.edu.
Objective:
To examine whether the addition of online motivational interviewing (MI) chats to a Web-based, group behavioral obesity treatment program augments weight loss outcomes relative to the Web-based weight control program alone.
Methods:
Healthy individuals (N = 398, 24% minority) with overweight/obesity were randomized to a 36-session group Internet behavioral weight control treatment (BT) or the same group Internet treatment plus six individual MI chat sessions (BT + MI). Both conditions received weekly synchronous online chat group sessions for 6 months followed by 12 monthly group chats. Participants in both groups received identical behavioral lessons and individualized therapist feedback on progress toward meeting exercise and calorie goals. BT + MI also received six individual MI sessions delivered by a separate MI counselor via Web chat. Weight loss was measured at 6 and 18 months.
Results:
There were no significant differences in weight loss between BT (-5.5 ± 6.0 kg) and BT + MI (-5.1 ± 6.3 kg) at 6 months or at 18 months (-3.3 ± 7.1 kg vs. -3.5 ± 7.7 kg for BT and BT + MI, respectively). Attendance at group chats did not differ between groups, nor did self-monitoring patterns, suggesting comparable engagement in the weight control program in both conditions.
Conclusions:
Online MI chat sessions were not a viable strategy to enhance Web-based weight control treatment outcomes.
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