Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30003481›Full record

Trial reportJournal of general internal medicine2018

Social Incentives and Gamification to Promote Weight Loss: The LOSE IT Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Gregory W Kurtzman, Susan C Day, Dylan S Small, Marta Lynch, Jingsan Zhu, Wenli Wang, Charles A L Rareshide, Mitesh S Patel

Abstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of general internal medicine, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed, 11 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Gregory W KurtzmanPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Susan C DayPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Dylan S SmallThe Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Marta LynchPenn Medicine Nudge Unit, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jingsan ZhuPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Wenli WangPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Charles A L RareshidePenn Medicine Nudge Unit, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Mitesh S PatelPerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. mpatel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSocial networks influence obesity patterns, but interventions to leverage social incentives to promote weight loss have not been well evaluated.

objectiveTo test the effectiveness of gamification interventions designed using insights from behavioral economics to enhance social incentives to promote weight loss.

designThe Leveraging Our Social Experiences and Incentives Trial (LOSE IT) was a 36-week randomized, controlled trial with a 24-week intervention and 12-week follow-up.

participantsOne hundred and ninety-six obese adults (body mass index ≥ 30) comprising 98 two-person teams.

interventionsAll participants received a wireless weight scale, used smartphones to track daily step counts, formed two-person teams with a family member or friend, and selected a weight loss goal. Teams were randomly assigned to control or one of two gamification interventions for 36 weeks that used points and levels to enhance collaborative social incentives. One of the gamification arms also had weight and step data shared regularly with each participant's primary care physician (PCP).

main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was weight loss at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included weight loss at 36 weeks. KEY

resultsAt 24 weeks, participants lost significant weight from baseline in the control arm (mean: - 3.9 lbs; 95% CI: - 6.1 to - 1.7; P < 0.001), the gamification arm (mean: - 6.6 lbs; 95% CI: - 9.4 to - 3.9; P < 0.001), and the gamification arm with PCP data sharing (mean: - 4.8 lbs; 95% CI: - 7.4 to - 2.3; P < 0.001). At 36 weeks, weight loss from baseline remained significant in the control arm (mean: - 3.5 lbs; 95% CI: - 6.1 to - 0.8; P = 0.01), the gamification arm (mean: - 6.3 lbs; 95% CI: - 9.2 to - 3.3; P < 0.001), and the gamification arm with PCP data sharing (mean: - 5.2 lbs; 95% CI: - 8.5 to - 2.0; P < 0.01). However, in the main adjusted model, there were no significant differences in weight loss between each of the intervention arms and control at either 12, 24, or 36 weeks.

conclusionsUsing digital health devices to track behavior with a partner led to significant weight loss through 36 weeks, but the gamification interventions were not effective at promoting weight loss when compared to control.

trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: 02564445.

Indexed as

MotivationSocial NetworkingAdultBehavior TherapyBody Mass IndexExerciseFemaleFollow-Up StudiesGames, ExperimentalHealth BehaviorHealth PromotionHumansMaleMiddle AgedObesitySmartphonebehavioral economicsclinical trialgamificationphysical activitysmartphonessocial incentivesweight loss

Identifiers

PMID30003481
PMCPMC6153249

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

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.