Suchergebnisse

Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 643309. The material presented and views expressed here are the responsibility of the author(s) only. The European Commission takes no responsibility for any use made of the information set out. ; Background: The use of digital interventions can be accurately monitored via log files. However, monitoring engagement with intervention goals or enactment of the actual behaviors targeted by the intervention is more difficult and is usually evaluated based on pre-post measurements in a controlled trial. Objective: The objective of this paper is to evaluate if engaging with 2 digital intervention modules focusing on (1) physical activity goals and action plans and (2) coping with barriers has immediate effects on the actual physical activity behavior. Methods: The NoHoW Toolkit (TK), a digital intervention developed to support long-term weight loss maintenance, was evaluated in a 2 x 2 factorial randomized controlled trial. The TK contained various modules based on behavioral self-regulation and motivation theories, as well as contextual emotion regulation approaches, and involved continuous tracking of weight and physical activity through connected commercial devices (Fitbit Aria and Charge 2). Of the 4 trial arms, 2 had access to 2 modules directly targeting physical activity: a module for goal setting and action planning (Goal) and a module for identifying barriers and coping planning (Barriers). Module visits and completion were determined based on TK log files and time spent in the module web page. Seven physical activity metrics (steps; activity; energy expenditure; fairly active, very active and total active minutes; and distance) were compared before and after visiting and completing the modules to examine whether the modules had immediate or sustained effects on physical activity. Immediate effect was determined based on 7-day windows before and after the visit, ...

Background: Very few comprehensive treatments are currently available for weight loss maintenance (WLM). Research suggests that if interventions are to be effective in promoting sustained health behaviour change they should use theory- and evidence-based techniques. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have the potential for wide reach and low cost interventions, offering attractive tools for the implementation of effective behaviour change techniques. The NoHoW project is a European Union H2020-funded project bringing together leading experts in behaviour change, technology providers, and weight loss/ obesity to develop tools to help people maintain previously lost weight. Aim: NoHoW will carry out a large-scale European randomized controlled trial to test whether different evidence-based and novel behavior change, emotion- and self-regulation techniques delivered via an ICT Toolkit (TK), promote successful WLM. Method/Results: The TK includes a set of web-app tools and inputs from other technologies, such as smart scales and activity trackers, and offers a personalised behaviour modification feed-back system targeting weight, sleep, physical activity, and dietary behaviours. The TK is based on (1) evidence-based state-of-art theories of behaviour change, including techniques associated with self-regulation skills (Self-regulation Theory), building autonomous motivation (Self-Determination Theory), and emotional regulation, (2) web-design expertise, and (3) user-testing. Informed by the guidelines for the development of complex behavior change interventions and principles applied in previous theory-based behavior change interventions, we used a systematic approach to the translation of theory and evidence to ICT intervention components. This includes (1) developing theory-driven logic models of the TK, (2) identifying key theoretical constructs targeted, (3) selecting theory- and evidence-based techniques that are expected to impact on target constructs, and (4) translating these techniques into the ...

Funding Information: The authors thank Sarah E Scott for her valuable contributions as the trial manager and in the user experience evaluation, and Susana Cunha for her contribution in conducting and reporting the focus groups. This project has received funding from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement number 643309. The material presented and views expressed here are the responsibility of the authors only. The European Union Commission does not take responsibility for any use made of the information set out. ; Background: Digital behavior change interventions (DBCIs) offer a promising channel for providing health promotion services. However, user experience largely determines whether they are used, which is a precondition for effectiveness. Objective: The primary aim of this study is to evaluate user experiences with the NoHoW Toolkit (TK)—a DBCI that targets weight loss maintenance—over a 12-month period by using a mixed methods approach and to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the TK and the external factors affecting its adoption. The secondary aim is to objectively describe the measured use of the TK and its association with user experience. Methods: An 18-month, 2×2 factorial randomized controlled trial was conducted. The trial included 3 intervention arms receiving an 18-week active intervention and a control arm. The user experience of the TK was assessed quantitatively through electronic questionnaires after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of use. The questionnaires also included open-ended items that were thematically analyzed. Focus group interviews were conducted after 6 months of use and thematically analyzed to gain deeper insight into the user experience. Log files of the TK were used to evaluate the number of visits to the TK, the total duration of time spent in the TK, and information on intervention completion. Results: The usability level of the TK was rated as satisfactory. User acceptance was rated as modest; this declined during the trial in all the arms, as did the objectively measured use of the TK. The most appreciated features were weekly emails, graphs, goal setting, and interactive exercises. The following 4 themes were identified in the qualitative data: engagement with features, decline in use, external factors affecting user experience, and suggestions for improvements. Conclusions: The long-term user experience of the TK highlighted the need to optimize the technical functioning, appearance, and content of the DBCI before and during the trial, similar to how a commercial app would be optimized. In a trial setting, the users should be made aware of how to use the intervention and what its requirements are, especially when there is more intensive intervention content. ; publishersversion ; published

Background: Many weight loss programs show short-term effectiveness, but subsequent weight loss maintenance is difficult to achieve. Digital technologies offer a promising means of delivering behavior change approaches at low costs and on a wide scale. The Navigating to a Healthy Weight (NoHoW) project, which was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, aimed to develop, test, and evaluate a digital toolkit designed to promote successful long-term weight management. The toolkit was tested in an 18-month, large-scale, international, 2×2 factorial (motivation and self-regulation vs emotion regulation) randomized controlled trial that was conducted on adults with overweight or obesity who lost ≥5% of their body weight in the preceding 12 months before enrollment into the intervention. Objective: This paper aims to describe the development of the NoHoW Toolkit, focusing on the logic models, content, and specifications, as well as the results from user testing. Methods: The toolkit was developed by using a systematic approach, which included the development of the theory-based logic models, the selection of behavior change techniques, the translation of these techniques into a web-based app (NoHoW Toolkit components), technical development, and the user evaluation and refinement of the toolkit. Results: The toolkit included a set of web-based tools and inputs from digital tracking devices (smart scales and activity trackers) and modules that targeted weight, physical activity, and dietary behaviors. The final toolkit comprised 34 sessions that were distributed through 15 modules and provided active content over a 4-month period. The motivation and self-regulation arm consisted of 8 modules (17 sessions), the emotion regulation arm was presented with 7 modules (17 sessions), and the combined arm received the full toolkit (15 modules; 34 sessions). The sessions included a range of implementations, such as videos, testimonies, and questionnaires. Furthermore, the toolkit contained 5 specific data tiles for monitoring weight, steps, healthy eating, mood, and sleep. Conclusions: A systematic approach to the development of digital solutions based on theory, evidence, and user testing may significantly contribute to the advancement of the science of behavior change and improve current solutions for sustained weight management. Testing the toolkit by using a 2×2 design provided a unique opportunity to examine the effect of motivation and self-regulation and emotion regulation separately, as well as the effect of their interaction in weight loss maintenance.

Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement number 643309. The materials presented and views expressed here are the responsibility of the authors only. The European Commission takes no responsibility for any use made of the information in this study. Funding Information: Background: Many weight loss programs show short-term effectiveness, but subsequent weight loss maintenance is difficult to achieve. Digital technologies offer a promising means of delivering behavior change approaches at low costs and on a wide scale. The Navigating to a Healthy Weight (NoHoW) project, which was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, aimed to develop, test, and evaluate a digital toolkit designed to promote successful long-term weight management. The toolkit was tested in an 18-month, large-scale, international, 2×2 factorial (motivation and self-regulation vs emotion regulation) randomized controlled trial that was conducted on adults with overweight or obesity who lost ≥5% of their body weight in the preceding 12 months before enrollment into the intervention. Objective: This paper aims to describe the development of the NoHoW Toolkit, focusing on the logic models, content, and specifications, as well as the results from user testing. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Medical Internet Research. All rights reserved. ; Background: Many weight loss programs show short-term effectiveness, but subsequent weight loss maintenance is difficult to achieve. Digital technologies offer a promising means of delivering behavior change approaches at low costs and on a wide scale. The Navigating to a Healthy Weight (NoHoW) project, which was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, aimed to develop, test, and evaluate a digital toolkit designed to promote successful long-term weight management. The toolkit was tested in an 18-month, large-scale, international, 2×2 factorial (motivation and self-regulation vs emotion regulation) randomized controlled trial that was conducted on adults with overweight or obesity who lost ≥5% of their body weight in the preceding 12 months before enrollment into the intervention. Objective: This paper aims to describe the development of the NoHoW Toolkit, focusing on the logic models, content, and specifications, as well as the results from user testing. Methods: The toolkit was developed by using a systematic approach, which included the development of the theory-based logic models, the selection of behavior change techniques, the translation of these techniques into a web-based app (NoHoW Toolkit components), technical development, and the user evaluation and refinement of the toolkit. Results: The toolkit included a set of web-based tools and inputs from digital tracking devices (smart scales and activity trackers) and modules that targeted weight, physical activity, and dietary behaviors. The final toolkit comprised 34 sessions that were distributed through 15 modules and provided active content over a 4-month period. The motivation and self-regulation arm consisted of 8 modules (17 sessions), the emotion regulation arm was presented with 7 modules (17 sessions), and the combined arm received the full toolkit (15 modules; 34 sessions). The sessions included a range of implementations, such as videos, testimonies, and questionnaires. Furthermore, the toolkit contained 5 specific data tiles for monitoring weight, steps, healthy eating, mood, and sleep. Conclusions: A systematic approach to the development of digital solutions based on theory, evidence, and user testing may significantly contribute to the advancement of the science of behavior change and improve current solutions for sustained weight management. Testing the toolkit by using a 2×2 design provided a unique opportunity to examine the effect of motivation and self-regulation and emotion regulation separately, as well as the effect of their interaction in weight loss maintenance. ; publishersversion ; published