N/A N=70 Randomized Other

Building Habits Together Online Weight Loss Program

Obesity

Bottom Line

View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06154213 ↗

Enrolled (actual)

Serious AEs

1.4%

Results posted

Mar 2025

Primary outcome: Primary: Mobile App Use — 18; 33 days out of 168 total

Study Design & Population

Study type: Interventional
Phase: N/A
Interventions: Building Habits Together (Behavioral); Getting Healthy Together (Behavioral)
Age: Adult, Older Adult · 18+ yrs
Sex: All
Sponsor: University of Connecticut
Primary completion: Nov 2023

Outcome Measures

Outcome	Result	p-value
PRIMARY Mobile App Use	18; 33	—
PRIMARY Retention	33; 35	—
PRIMARY Engagement Per Participant in the Facebook Group	112; 96	—
PRIMARY Ease of Use (Acceptability)	18; 20	—
PRIMARY Contamination	—	—
PRIMARY Time Consuming (Burden)	6; 8	—
SECONDARY Percentage of Baseline Weight Lost at 24 Weeks	2.1; 5	—

Summary

The purpose of this pilot trial is to evaluate the feasibility of a lifestyle intervention where participants will all receive online weight loss counseling delivered via a private Facebook group, but be randomized to the Habit app (developed by the investigators) or MyFitnessPal, a commercial calorie tracking app.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

18-65 years old
Body mass index (BMI) 27-45 kg/m2
Wi-Fi connectivity at home
Logs into Facebook at least 5 days per week over the past 2 weeks
Has posted/replied on Facebook at least once a week in the past 2 weeks
Able to participate in the study in English
Interested in losing weight

Exclusion Criteria

Under the age of 18 and over the age of 65
BMI under 27 or over 45 at screening; then under 27 at the point of the first weight on scale
Does not have Wi-Fi connectivity at home
Does not have a Facebook account
Does not log into Facebook at least 5 days per week over the past 2 weeks
Did not post/reply on Facebook once a week over the past 2 weeks
Not able to participate in the study in English
Does not live in the United States
Not interested in losing weight
Pregnant/lactating or plans to become pregnant during study period
Reports having bipolar disorder, substance abuse, psychosis, an eating disorder, or severe depression
Had bariatric surgery or plans to have surgery during the study
Currently taking medication affecting weight
Has lost ≥5% of weight in past 3 months
Is participating or intends to participate in another weight loss program during the study that provides coaching or problem solving
Chronic pain that interferes with the ability to exercise
Has Type 1 Diabetes
Has Type 2 Diabetes
Unable to make dietary changes or increase physical activity
Unable to walk ¼ mile unaided without stopping
Currently smokes or vapes nicotine
No phone connectivity at home and work
Has a digestive disorder/condition that precludes dietary changes
Meets criteria for severe depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-8 (score of >19)
Does not currently own a smartphone
Smartphone type and/or version not meeting app requirements
Participated in previous weight loss studies under the PI
Unable to attend the orientation webinar
If University of Connecticut (UConn) employee/student has concerns about being in a Facebook group with other UConn faculty, staff, and students
Had major surgery in past 6 months and have not been cleared by their doctor to resume physical activity and diet changes
Plans to have major surgery in the next 6-months
Has an implanted cardiac defibrillator or pacemaker
Did not complete screening and on-board processes of study (screening survey, webinar, e-consent, baseline survey, app set-up, scale set-up, etc.)
Not willing to be audiotaped for focus groups
Prisoner; or
Unable to provide consent

View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06154213). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.