Lu Hu1, Paige Illiano2, Mary Lou Pompeii2, Collin J Popp2, Anna Y Kharmats2, Margaret Curran2, Katherine Perdomo2, Shirley Chen2, Michael Bergman3, Eran Segal4, Mary Ann Sevick5. 1. Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: lu.hu@nyulangone.org. 2. Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. 3. Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. 4. Department of Computer Science and Applied Math, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. 5. Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To describe challenges and lessons learned in conducting a remote behavioral weight loss trial. METHODS: The Personal Diet Study is an ongoing randomized clinical trial which aims to compare two mobile health (mHealth) weight loss approaches, standardized diet vs. personalized feedback, on glycemic response. Over a six-month period, participants attended dietitian-led group meetings via remote videoconferencing and were encouraged to self-monitor dietary intake using a smartphone app. Descriptive statistics were used to report adherence to counseling sessions and self-monitoring. Challenges were tracked during weekly project meetings. RESULTS: Challenges in connecting to and engaging in the videoconferencing sessions were noted. To address these issues, we provided a step-by-step user manual and video tutorials regarding use of WebEx, encouraged alternative means to join sessions, and sent reminder emails/texts about the WebEx sessions and asking participants to join sessions early. Self-monitoring app-related issue included inability to find specific foods in the app database. To overcome this, the study team incorporated commonly consumed foods as "favorites" in the app database, provided a manual and video tutorials regarding use of the app and checked the self-monitoring app dashboard weekly to identify nonadherent participants and intervened as appropriate. Among 135 participants included in the analysis, the median attendance rate for the 14 remote sessions was 85.7% (IQR: 64.3%-92.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Experience and lessons shared in this report may provide critical and timely guidance to other behavioral researchers and interventionists seeking to adapt behavioral counseling programs for remote delivery in the age of COVID-19.
OBJECTIVES: To describe challenges and lessons learned in conducting a remote behavioral weight loss trial. METHODS: The Personal Diet Study is an ongoing randomized clinical trial which aims to compare two mobile health (mHealth) weight loss approaches, standardized diet vs. personalized feedback, on glycemic response. Over a six-month period, participants attended dietitian-led group meetings via remote videoconferencing and were encouraged to self-monitor dietary intake using a smartphone app. Descriptive statistics were used to report adherence to counseling sessions and self-monitoring. Challenges were tracked during weekly project meetings. RESULTS: Challenges in connecting to and engaging in the videoconferencing sessions were noted. To address these issues, we provided a step-by-step user manual and video tutorials regarding use of WebEx, encouraged alternative means to join sessions, and sent reminder emails/texts about the WebEx sessions and asking participants to join sessions early. Self-monitoring app-related issue included inability to find specific foods in the app database. To overcome this, the study team incorporated commonly consumed foods as "favorites" in the app database, provided a manual and video tutorials regarding use of the app and checked the self-monitoring app dashboard weekly to identify nonadherent participants and intervened as appropriate. Among 135 participants included in the analysis, the median attendance rate for the 14 remote sessions was 85.7% (IQR: 64.3%-92.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Experience and lessons shared in this report may provide critical and timely guidance to other behavioral researchers and interventionists seeking to adapt behavioral counseling programs for remote delivery in the age of COVID-19.
Authors: Michelle K Alencar; Kelly Johnson; Rashmi Mullur; Virginia Gray; Elizabeth Gutierrez; Olga Korosteleva Journal: J Telemed Telecare Date: 2017-12-03 Impact factor: 6.184
Authors: Aisha T Langford; Binhuan Wang; Natasha A Orzeck-Byrnes; Sneha R Aidasani; Lu Hu; Melanie Applegate; Dana N Moloney; Mary Ann Sevick; Erin S Rogers; Natalie K Levy Journal: Patient Educ Couns Date: 2018-09-17
Authors: Collin J Popp; David E St-Jules; Lu Hu; Lisa Ganguzza; Paige Illiano; Margaret Curran; Huilin Li; Antoinette Schoenthaler; Michael Bergman; Ann Marie Schmidt; Eran Segal; Anastasia Godneva; Mary Ann Sevick Journal: Contemp Clin Trials Date: 2019-03-04 Impact factor: 2.226
Authors: Alex H Krist; Karina W Davidson; Carol M Mangione; Michael J Barry; Michael Cabana; Aaron B Caughey; Katrina Donahue; Chyke A Doubeni; John W Epling; Martha Kubik; Seth Landefeld; Gbenga Ogedegbe; Lori Pbert; Michael Silverstein; Melissa A Simon; Chien-Wen Tseng; John B Wong Journal: JAMA Date: 2020-11-24 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Michelle M Alvarado; Hye-Chung Kum; Karla Gonzalez Coronado; Margaret J Foster; Pearl Ortega; Mark A Lawley Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2017-02-13 Impact factor: 5.428
Authors: Lora E Burke; Linda J Ewing; Lei Ye; Mindi Styn; Yaguang Zheng; Edvin Music; India Loar; Juliet Mancino; Christopher C Imes; Lu Hu; Rachel Goode; Susan M Sereika Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2015-09-18 Impact factor: 5.002