Effectiveness of an electronic food diary in weight reduction

ISRCTN	ISRCTN12929749
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN12929749
Secondary identifying numbers	R3374

Submission date: 19/02/2013
Registration date: 06/03/2013
Last edited: 10/07/2015

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Weight loss can be difficult and lots of research has been done to find effective plan for improving weight loss programmes. It has been shown that if participants don't stick to weight loss programmes for long, and don't change their behaviour, weight loss can't be sustained in the long run. In modern weight management programmes, a food diary is a self-monitoring method to record daily diet for nutritionists to look at later. With the help of modern technology, food diaries could help participants to learn how to keep the weight off. The aim of this study was to test if an electronic food diary (the Portal) helped obese people to lose weight effectively.

Who can participate?
The study aimed to recruit 60 adults aged 20-60 with body mass index of 25 or more.

What does the study involve?
Recruited obese subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups (electronic food diary or paper food diary or control group). Each subject received three sessions with each of 60-90 minutes diet consultations. Bio-measurements of body height, body weight, fat percentage, blood pressure, waist and hip circumference were done before and after the intervention. Exercise was recommended to all subjects in three groups. Eating behaviour, nutritional knowledge and performance at work, sports and leisure activities were measured by questionnaire at the start and end of the project.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants had access to a well-organised weight loss programme. An electronic food diary helped them monitor their own food intake. Participating in this study helped scientists see whether the electronic food diary worked, and whether using these could help lower the cost of weight loss programmes in the future. There were no known risks associated with participating.

Where is the study run from?
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study started recruitment in July 2011. Participants were recruited for a period of 3 months from September 2011 to November 2011.

Who is funding the study?
The study was funded by the investigators.

Who is the main contact?
Dr. Louisa Chung
chungmy@ied.edu.hk

Contact information

Dr Louisa Ming Yan Chung
Scientific

D4-11, 2/F
10 Lo Ping Road
Tai Po
NT
-
-
Hong Kong

Email	chungmy@ied.edu.hk

Study information

Study design	Double-blind randomised controlled trial
Primary study design	Interventional
Secondary study design	Randomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)	Other
Study type	Quality of life
Participant information sheet	Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Scientific title	Effectiveness of an electronic food diary in weight reduction: a double-blind randomised controlled trial
Study objectives	It is hypothesised that participants using electronic food diary in tele-dietetics have better weight reduction than the participants using paper food diary and the control group. The null hypothesis is that there is no difference in weight reduction between the three groups.
Ethics approval(s)	Ethics Committee of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, January 2011
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Obesity
Intervention	Intervention arms: The participants in the paper food diary (FD) and electronic diary (ED) groups recorded their dietary intakes in logbooks and on an electronic diary system, respectively. Control arm: The participants in the control group (CG) did nothing. The total duration of treatment was 12 weeks. Measurements of outcome parameters were before the study, week 6 and week 12 (after the study).
Intervention type	Other
Primary outcome measure	1. Body weight 2. Body mass index (BMI) 3. Fat percentage 4. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) 5. Mean arterial pressure Measured before the study, at week 6 and at week 12.
Secondary outcome measures	1. Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) will be used as subjective eating behaviour assessment 2. General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ) for adults will be used as objective nutritional knowledge assessment 3. Questionnaire for measurement of habitual physical activity (HPA) will be used for assessment of work, sports and leisure activities. Measured before the study and at week 12.
Overall study start date	01/07/2011
Completion date	30/12/2011

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Patient
Age group	Adult
Sex	Both
Target number of participants	60
Key inclusion criteria	1. Aged between 20 and 60 2. Body mass index (BMI) >25
Key exclusion criteria	Does not meet inclusion criteria
Date of first enrolment	01/07/2011
Date of final enrolment	30/12/2011

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Hong Kong

Study participating centre

D4-11, 2/F

-
-
Hong Kong

Sponsor information

Hong Kong Institute of Education (Hong Kong)
University/education

10 Lo Ping Road
Tai Po
-
-
Hong Kong

Email	cherryng@ied.edu.hk
Website	http://www.ied.edu.hk/web/index.php

Funders

Funder type

Other

Investigator initiated and funded (Hong Kong)

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination plan	Not provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan