SynthesisThe international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity2015
Is self-weighing an effective tool for weight loss: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 50 papers.
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
50 citing papers in PubMed, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Hybrid Health IT and Telehealth-Delivered Behavioral Weight Loss Services for Primary Care Patients With Cardiovascular Risk Factors: Intervention Component Design and Pragmatic Randomized Feasibility Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Trial
- A digital behavioral intervention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption: a randomized, controlled trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Trial
- Furthering Scientific Inquiry for Weight Loss Maintenance: Assessing the Psychological Processes Impacted by a Low intensity Technology-Assisted Intervention (NULevel Trial).Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Self-weighing frequency and the incidence of type 2 diabetes: post hoc analysis of a cluster-randomized controlled trial.BMC research notes · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Behavioural intervention for weight loss maintenance versus standard weight advice in adults with obesity: A randomised controlled trial in the UK (NULevel Trial).PLoS medicine · 2019Trial
- Effectiveness of a brief behavioural intervention to prevent weight gain over the Christmas holiday period: randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2018Trial
- Acceptability of a very-low-energy diet in Type 2 diabetes: patient experiences and behaviour regulation.Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association · 2017Trial
- Effectiveness of a Group-Based Culturally Tailored Lifestyle Intervention Program on Changes in Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes among Asian Indians in the United States.Journal of diabetes research · 2017Trial
- Three-Year Follow-Up of Participants from a Self-Weighing Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of obesity · 2017Trial
- Evaluation of a text supported weight maintenance programme 'Lighten Up Plus' following a weight reduction programme: randomised controlled trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2016Trial
- Behavioral Factors Associated With ≥ 15% Versus < 5% Weight Loss in Adults With Severe Obesity: A Retrospective Clinical Study.Obesity science & practice · 2026Article
- Novel energy balance tracking to support personalised AI health coaching: a real-world evaluation of the ENHANCE framework.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Observational
- Article
- An internet-assisted sleep, dietary, and physical activity intervention to support weight-loss among postpartum people (Sleep GOALS): protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2025Article
- Making household food waste reduction easier.Nature human behaviour · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is a need to identify effective behavioural strategies for weight loss. Self-weighing may be one such strategy. PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of self-weighing for weight loss.
methodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials that included self-weighing as an isolated intervention or as a component within an intervention. We used sub groups to analyse differences in frequency of weighing instruction (daily and weekly) and also whether including accountability affected weight loss.
resultsOnly one study examined self-weighing as a single strategy and there was no evidence it was effective (-0.5 kg 95 % CI -1.3 to 0.3). Four trials added self-weighing/self-regulation techniques to multi-component programmes and resulted in a significant difference of -1.7 kg (95 % CI -2.6 to -0.8). Fifteen trials comparing multi-component interventions including self-weighing compared with no intervention or minimal control resulted in a significant mean difference of -3.4 kg (95 % CI -4.2 to -2.6). There was no significant difference in the interventions with weekly or daily weighing. In trials which included accountability there was significantly greater weight loss (p = 0.03).
conclusionsThere is a lack of evidence of whether advising self-weighing without other intervention components is effective. Adding self-weighing to a behavioural weight loss programme may improve weight loss. Behavioural weight loss programmes that include self-weighing are more effective than minimal interventions. Accountability may improve the effectiveness of interventions that include self-weighing.
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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.