Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39522630›Full record

ArticleContemporary clinical trials2025

The Mobile lifestyle intervention for food and exercise (mLife) study: Protocol of a remote behavioral weight loss randomized clinical trial for type 2 diabetes prevention.

K E DuBois, D C Delgado-Díaz, M McGrievy, H Valafar, C Monroe, S Wilcox, G Turner-McGrievy

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Contemporary clinical trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05176847 (Increasing Social Support for Weight Loss Through the Use of Social Gaming and Points), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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.

NCT05176847 nacompletednot on this map

Increasing Social Support for Weight Loss Through the Use of Social Gaming and Points: The Mobile Intervention for Food and Exercise (mLIFE) Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of South CarolinaRan2022 to 2025Enrolled243ConditionsOverweight and Obesity, Type2 DiabetesArmsPodcasts and tips of the day (within app), mLIFE app (self-regulation features), mLIFE app (social support features), standard mLIFE app (social support features)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
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

7 authors.

K E DuBoisPrevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America. Electronic address: kdubois@email.sc.edu.
D C Delgado-DíazPrevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America.
M McGrievyArnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America.
H ValafarDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering, Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, University of South Carolina, 2203 Storey Innovation Center, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America.
C MonroeDepartment of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
S WilcoxPrevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America; Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America.
G Turner-McGrievyPrevention Research Center, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America; Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.

Funding

Targeting important behaviors for weight loss through the use of social gaming and points: The Social Pounds Off Digitally (Social POD) studyR01DK129302 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · PI TURNER-MCGRIEVY, GABRIELLE MICHELLE · 2021 to 2024
$2.3M
NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK129302
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEmerging research has examined electronic and mobile health (e/mHealth) technologies for weight loss and manage of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but few studies have focused specifically on ways to target social support behaviors that have proven to be effective. While gamifying an mHealth behavioral weight loss intervention holds promise to promote and sustain social support, there has been very little research in this area. The mobile Lifestyle Intervention for Food and Exercise study (mLife) was designed to test if receiving points for social support is an effective way to promote sustained weight loss.

objectiveTo describe the design of the 12-month mLife study, a randomized clinical trial, which compares the differential long-term effect of a behavioral weight loss program with and without gamification among adults with overweight or obesity.

methodsParticipants (target N = 240) in two consecutive cohorts were randomized to either the mLife+points or mLife group. The weight loss intervention for both groups included diet and physical activity (PA) recommendations, education, daily diet logging, visualization of PA and body weight readings captured with a wearable tracker and e-scale, and facilitation of social interaction among participants. The mLife+points group earned points for social support activities. Remote follow-up assessments of weight, anthropometric measures, diet (24 h dietary recalls), PA, social support provision, receipt and enjoyment, factors driving self-monitoring adherence and study compliance/responsiveness occurred at 6 and 12-months post-baseline.

conclusionThe mLife study informs the expansion of gamification within mHealth programs to enhance social support provision and receipt during weight loss.

trial registrationThis study was registered on clintrials.gov on the 30th of October 2017, under the trial registration number: NCT05176847.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ExerciseObesitySocial SupportTelemedicineWeight LossWeight Reduction ProgramsAdultAgedBehavior TherapyFemaleHumansLife StyleMaleMiddle AgedOverweightDiet trackingGamificationMobile healthObesityPhysical activity trackingRandomized controlled trialSocial supportWeight loss

Identifiers

PMID39522630
PMCPMC11700768

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

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.