Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30301963›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of obesity (2005)2019

Levels of adherence needed to achieve significant weight loss.

Craig A Johnston, Jennette P Moreno, Daphne C Hernandez, Brittany A Link, Tzu-An Chen, Alexis C Wojtanowski, Gary D Foster, John P Foreyt

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of obesity (2005), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Review
  11. Adherence to Behavioral Weight Management: A Scoping Review of Definitions, Measurement, and Components.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Craig A JohnstonDepartment of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA. cajohn25@central.uh.edu.
Jennette P MorenoUSDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics-Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Daphne C HernandezDepartment of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Brittany A LinkDepartment of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Tzu-An ChenHEALTH Research Institute, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.
Alexis C WojtanowskiWeight Watchers International, New York, New York, USA.
Gary D FosterWeight Watchers International, New York, New York, USA.
John P ForeytUSDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics-Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesPositive associations have been found between adherence and weight loss in behavioral weight-management interventions. However, less attention has been given to the level of adherence needed to reach clinically significant weight loss. This study examined the levels of adherence associated with a ≥ 5% - < 10% or ≥ 10% weight loss in a community-based, intensive behavioral weight management program, Weight Watchers® (WW), which included three modes of access: (1) 24-weekly WW meetings over 6 months, (2) the WW member website, and (3) the WW mobile application.

methodsA total of 292 participants were randomized to a WW (n = 147) or a self-help (SH) (n = 145) condition. To assess the impact of adherence, only participants in the WW condition were included in analyses (n = 147). Adherence was defined as use of the three modes of access. Measured heights and weights were obtained at baseline and 6 months. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses were conducted to determine the minimal level of adherence associated with clinically significant weight loss.

resultsIn a 6-month period, increased likelihood of achieving a weight loss ≥ 5% - < 10% was associated with attending approximately one-third (35.4%) of weekly meetings, use of the member website about 25% of days, and use of the mobile application 16.1% of days. Attendance at approximately two-thirds (64.5%) of meetings, use of the member website 41.6% of days, and use of the mobile application 14.7% of days were associated with a clinically significant weight loss of ≥ 10%. Meeting attendance was the strongest predictor of weight loss at 6 months.

conclusionsAlthough adherence to a behavioral weight management program was an important predictor of weight loss, extremely high levels were not needed to achieve clinically significant weight loss. These results are important to help patients and treatment providers understand realistic goals for weight management.

Indexed as

Behavior TherapyMobile ApplicationsWeight LossAdultAgedHealth BehaviorHumansMiddle AgedObesityPatient ComplianceROC CurveSelf CareWeight Reduction Programs

Identifiers

PMID30301963

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.