Ongoing Research
Research shows that the internet is a good option
for weight loss
programs. Deborah Tate and her colleagues were the first to look at the
internet as a method for weight loss, and have published two studies
that show the internet as a viable option. The first, in the March 7,
2001, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association,
showed that participants in a behavioral therapy group that used the
web for weekly lessons plus self-monitoring diaries and individualized
feedback did better than those who only used the online lesson plans,
without feedback. The second study, published in the April 9, 2003 JAMA
edition compared a basic internet program with one that provided
individualized counseling via email, and showed that the participants
receiving personalized counseling did better than those who were
strictly self-help. As a result of this study, we enhanced our
messaging to members, reminding them to weigh in weekly and to get
involved with the community.
Jean Harvey-Berino and her colleagues at the
University of Vermont
have
studied online weight programs, and published a study in the December
2004 issue of Obesity Research
that showed that weight maintenance was equally as successful on the
internet as face-to-face. Our own participation in a study that the
University of Vermont team presented as an abstract at the 2004 North
American Association for the Study of Obesity showed that eDiets
members achieved decent weight loss, but that people who used an online
program plus weekly meetings and personalized counseling did better. We
encourage our members to make the community a part of their life, and
to check in weekly with our nutrition support team: the more you use
it, the more you will lose.
Weight loss is a complicated affair. I think that
studying people
who
are given the program may not feel as committed to those who purchase
it, and there is a certain level of commitment necessary for weight
loss to be successful. Even face-to-face won’t work if you leave your
meeting or counseling session with your dietitian or therapist and stop
for a Whopper on the way home.
Our own internal research shows that people who
log on most
frequently,
who weigh in weekly and get involved in the eDiets community stay with
us longest, and lose more weight compared to those who are less
consistent about weighing in, and don’t utilize the community. The goal
for eDiets and other commercial weight loss websites is to attempt to
duplicate the enhanced personalization and structure that research
shows brings the greatest success to dieters. Is it feasible? We know
it is! And we’re working on developing new programs that incorporate
all the best of online and offline programs. Stay tuned throughout 2006
for more incredible developments at eDiets.com.
