TY  - JOUR
AU  - Funk, Kristine L
AU  - Stevens, Victor J
AU  - Appel, Lawrence J
AU  - Bauck, Alan
AU  - Brantley, Phillip J
AU  - Champagne, Catherine M
AU  - Coughlin, Janelle
AU  - Dalcin, Arlene T
AU  - Harvey-Berino, Jean
AU  - Hollis, Jack F
AU  - Jerome, Gerald J
AU  - Kennedy, Betty M
AU  - Lien, Lillian F
AU  - Myers, Valerie H
AU  - Samuel-Hodge, Carmen
AU  - Svetkey, Laura P
AU  - Vollmer, William M
PY  - 2010
DA  - 2010/07/27
TI  - Associations of Internet Website Use With Weight Change in a Long-term Weight Loss Maintenance Program
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e29
VL  - 12
IS  - 3
KW  - Weight maintenance
KW  - Internet
KW  - intervention
KW  - weight loss
KW  - behavioral strategies
AB  - Background: The Weight Loss Maintenance Trial (WLM) compared two long-term weight-maintenance interventions, a personal contact arm and an Internet arm, with a no-treatment control after an initial six-month Phase I weight loss program. The Internet arm focused on use of an interactive website for support of long-term weight maintenance. There is limited information about patterns of website use and specific components of an interactive website that might help promote maintenance of weight loss. Objective: This paper presents a secondary analysis of the subset of participants in the Internet arm and focuses on website use patterns and features associated with long-term weight maintenance. Methods: Adults at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) who lost at least 4 kilograms in an initial 20-week group-based, behavioral weight-loss program were trained to use an interactive website for weight loss maintenance. Of the 348 participants, 37% were male and 38% were African American. Mean weight loss was 8.6 kilograms. Participants were encouraged to log in at least weekly and enter a current weight for the 30-month study period. The website contained features that encouraged setting short-term goals, creating action plans, and reinforcing self-management habits. The website also included motivational modules, daily tips, and tailored messages. Based on log-in and weight-entry frequency, we divided participants into three website use categories: consistent, some, and minimal. Results: Participants in the consistent user group (n = 212) were more likely to be older (P = .002), other than African American (P = .02), and more educated (P = .01). While there was no significant difference between website use categories in the amount of Phase I change in body weight (P = .45) or income (P = .78), minimal website users (n = 75) were significantly more likely to have attended fewer Phase I sessions (P = .001) and had a higher initial body mass index (BMI) (P < .001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics including initial BMI, variables most associated with less weight regain included: number of log-ins (P = .001), minutes on the website (P < .001), number of weight entries (P = .002), number of exercise entries (P < .001), and sessions with additional use of website features after weight entry (P = .002). Conclusion: Participants defined as consistent website users of an interactive behavioral website designed to promote maintenance of weight loss were more successful at maintaining long-term weight loss. Trial Registration: NCT00054925; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00054925 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5rC7523ue) 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2010/3/e29/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1504
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20663751
DO  - 10.2196/jmir.1504
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/jmir.1504
ER  -