Longitudinal Effects of a Digital Weight Management Program on Weight Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Objective Digital weight management (WM) programs have emerged as a novel solution for facilitating successful weight loss. However, there is a lack of long‐term, rigorous evaluations of digital WM programs, and there is high variability in weight loss outcomes among published studies. The present study involved comparing the effects of a commercially available digital WM program to an educational control on short‐ (16 weeks) and long‐term (68 weeks) weight loss. Methods A 2‐arm randomized controlled trial was conducted among 427 adults (mean [SD] age, 45.3 [13.4] years; 342 [83%] women; 99 [24.03%] non‐White and/or Hispanic; mean [SD] BMI, 32.53 [5.04]). Participants were randomized to the digital WM program ( n = 217) or educational control ( n = 210) for 16 weeks. The primary outcome was weight change at 16 weeks; secondary outcomes included physical activity, eating disorder risk, and body appreciation at 68 weeks. All analyses were intention‐to‐treat. Results Digital WM participants lost significantly more weight at 16 weeks than control participants (Mean weight loss = −1.2% [95% CI, −1.8%, and −0.5%] vs. Mean weight loss = +0.6% [95% CI, −0.3% and 1.4%], and p = 0.001). At 68 weeks, digital WM participants continued to lose more weight (Mean weight loss = −4.1% [95% CI, −5.9%, −and 2.2%] vs. Mean weight loss = +1.5% [95% CI, −0.2%, 3.2%], p < 0.001). Digital WM participants also reported significantly increased vigorous physical activity compared to control participants, and both groups showed significantly improved body appreciation and reduced eating disorder risk over time. Conclusions The results provide evidence for the scalability and efficacy of digital WM programs for sustained weight management. Future research should investigate the mechanisms behind sustained weight loss.