Trial reportAmerican journal of preventive medicine2011
Efficacy of a weight-loss website based on positive deviance. A randomized trial.
Trial report in American journal of preventive medicine, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Stand-Alone Digital Lifestyle Interventions on Weight-Related Outcomes in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Enablers of successful dissemination of uncommon practices in positive deviance studies for nutrition: A scoping review.BMC nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of digital health applications on the quality of life in patients with overweight or obesity: a systematic review.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of adult behavioural weight management interventions on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Pooled it
- Obesity Prevention Interventions and Implications for Energy Balance in the United States and Mexico: A Systematic Review of the Evidence and Meta-Analysis.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2019Pooled it
- Web-Based Digital Health Interventions for Weight Loss and Lifestyle Habit Changes in Overweight and Obese Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Pooled it
- Effectiveness of home blood pressure telemonitoring: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies.Journal of human hypertension · 2017Pooled it
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of internet-delivered interventions providing personalized feedback for weight loss in overweight and obese adults.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2016Pooled it
- Web-Based Interventions Targeting Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Middle-Aged and Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2016Pooled it
- Technology-assisted weight management interventions: systematic review of clinical trials.Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association · 2014Pooled it
- Transtheoretical model stages of change for dietary and physical exercise modification in weight loss management for overweight and obese adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Leveraging the Positive Deviance Approach to Drive Behavior Change in Noncommunicable Diseases: A Scoping Review.Public health challenges · 2026Review
- Who moves in vulnerable Caribbean neighborhoods? Positive deviance for physical activity: Findings from the Jamaica health and Lifestyle Survey 2017 (JHLS III).Preventive medicine reports · 2022Article
- Article
- Positive Outliers Among African American Women and the Factors Associated with Long-Term Physical Activity Maintenance.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2019Article
- Examining Internet and eHealth Practices and Preferences: Survey Study of Australian Older Adults With Subjective Memory Complaints, Mild Cognitive Impairment, or Dementia.Journal of medical Internet research · 2017Article
- Web-Based Weight Loss Intervention for Men With Type 2 Diabetes: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR diabetes · 2017Article
- A positive deviance approach to early childhood obesity: cross-sectional characterization of positive outliers.Childhood obesity (Print) · 2015Article
- Tackling overweight and obesity: does the public health message match the science?BMC medicine · 2013Review
- Web-based treatment program using intensive therapeutic contact for patients with eating disorders: before-after study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundWeb-based interventions for weight control could promote more-widespread dissemination of weight-loss opportunities; however, they remain limited in effectiveness. Incorporating weight-control practices used by individuals with long-term weight-loss success ("positive deviants") may improve the efficacy of web-based weight control interventions. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of AchieveTogether, a web-based weight-loss intervention for adults based on user-generated weight-loss strategies from successful weight losers.
designIn 2009-2010, participants were randomized to either a 12-week web-based intervention, AchieveTogether, or a wait-list control condition. SETTING/
participants100 overweight or obese adults participated in the study.
interventionAchieveTogether was designed to help individuals implement weight control practices used by others who successfully lost and maintained weight.
main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was change in weight. Secondary outcomes included blood pressure, daily caloric intake, quality of life, and use of weight control practices. ANCOVA, with adjustment for baseline values on outcome measures, was used to assess differences between groups in primary and secondary outcomes. Statistical analyses were conducted in 2010-2011.
resultsMost participants were women (69.7%) and white (90.8%), with a mean age of 50.3 years and baseline BMI of 33.2; 88% completed post-program assessments. Mean weight loss among intervention participants was -1.4 kg (95% CI= -2.2, -0.5), compared with a mean weight gain of 0.6 kg (95% CI= -0.3, 1.4) in control participants (p<0.01).
conclusionsUser-generated weight-loss practices from "positive deviants" could promote weight control in web-based interventions; however, further research is needed to improve program efficacy.
trial registrationThis study is registered at ClinicalTrials.govNCT00709501.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.