Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
POWeR stands for Positive Online Weight Reduction. It is a website-based weight management programme, developed by researchers and health professionals at the University of Southampton. The aim of this study is to look at how POWeR is used and whether it helps people to lose weight.
Who can participate?
Adults in participating worksites who are overweight and who have access to the internet on a regular basis
What does the study involve?
Participants register by creating an account with POWeR and complete some brief online questionnaires. They are then granted access to the POWeR website. The POWeR website is a series of online modules which the participant is encouraged to complete on a weekly basis. The POWeR intervention guides and supports users in changing their eating and physical activity. There are no strict dietary or exercise prescriptions; participants set themselves achievable, graded goals. Every session comprises self-monitoring, goal setting and tailored feedback on progress. Additional content of sessions are around topics such as fitting weight management into daily life, emotional triggers for eating and gaining social support. Each session ends with personalised links to good online sources of information and advice about different aspects of weight management. Skills and strategies developed in the sessions are saved for the user to access later - their 'POWeR tools'. Participants who have smartphones can download an accompanying POWeR app to track their goals and progress. After 8 weeks all participants are sent an email asking them to complete some questionnaires about their weight and their experiences of using POWeR. Some users are invited to talk to the researchers by phone in detail about how they got on with POWeR.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants who follow the POWeR programme are likely to lose weight in a safe and gradual way. Risks to participants are not expected. Potential users with serious health problems are asked to check with their doctor about the suitability of making dietary and exercise changes before making such changes. Participants are directed to their doctor in the case of any health concerns arising during the study.
Where is the study run from?
The study is run from the University of Southampton but people take part via a website so can do this from their own home, workplace or other convenient location.
Who is funding the study?
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2012 to December 2015
Who is the main contact?
Dr Laura Dennison
L.K.Dennison@soton.ac.uk
Trial website
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Primary contact
Prof Lucy Yardley
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3853-883X
Contact details
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
6155
Study information
Scientific title
Uptake and usage of a web and smartphone-delivered weight management intervention by overweight/obese adults in UK workplaces
Acronym
Study hypothesis
This study rolls out a web-based intervention in a real-life context to examine research questions centering around: demographic and employment-related predictors of usage, satisfaction with the web and smartphone elements of the intervention, and the role of the workplace climate in engaging with the intervention, and self-reported weight loss.
Ethics approval
University of Southampton Ethics Committee, 09/05/2013, ref: 5992
Study design
Observational study
Primary study design
Observational
Secondary study design
Cohort study
Trial setting
Internet
Trial type
Treatment
Patient information sheet
No participant information sheet available
Condition
Overweight/obesity
Intervention
Web-based intervention is offered to employees in participating UK workplaces.
The POWeR website is a series of online modules which the participant is encouraged to complete on a weekly basis. The POWeR intervention guides and supports users in changing their eating and physical activity. Every session comprises self-monitoring, goal setting and tailored feedback on progress. Additional content of sessions are around topics such as fitting weight management into daily life, emotional triggers for eating and gaining social support. Each session concludes with personalised links to good online sources of information and advice about different aspects of weight management. Skills and strategies developed in the sessions are saved for the user to access later; their 'POWeR tools'. Participants who have smartphones can download an accompanying POWeR app to track their goals and progress.
Data collection at baseline (registration) and 8 weeks.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Applicable
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Participants' use of POWeR weight management website (objective data, recorded by the online intervention). Data collection at baseline (registration) and 8 weeks.
Secondary outcome measures
Satisfaction with the website and (where relevant) smartphone app
Other measures of interest include:
1. Satisfaction with the website (Yardley et al. 2010)
2. Use of the POWeR intervention within the workplace context (questionnaire created specifically for this study)
3. Workplace weight related social norms (Lemmon et al. 2013)
4. Workplace health climate (Ribisl & Reischl, 1993)
5. Self-reported weight loss (kg)
Data collection at baseline (registration) and 8 weeks.
Overall trial start date
01/10/2012
Overall trial end date
31/12/2015
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Adults (male and female), aged 18 or older
2. Self-reported body mass index (BMI) >23
3. Able to access the internet on a regular basis
4. Able and willing to weigh self once per week
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
The aim is to explore uptake and adherence and their correlates in the context of a real life public health rollout of the intervention. Therefore there is not a minimum or maximum no. of participants.
Participant exclusion criteria
Potential participants with health conditions that influence their diet or physical activity are advised to check with their GP before taking part
Recruitment start date
01/01/2014
Recruitment end date
31/12/2014
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
University of Southampton
University Road
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
University of Southampton (UK)
Sponsor details
c/o Dr Martina Prude
Research Governance Office
Highfield Campus
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
United Kingdom
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
Research council
Funder name
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - Project UBhave: ubiquitous and social computing for positive behaviour change, ref: EP/I032673/1
Alternative name(s)
EPSRC
Funding Body Type
government organisation
Funding Body Subtype
National government
Location
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Results from preliminary data analyses have been presented to the academic community at national and international conferences. Data analyses are ongoing and a publication summarising the main findings will be prepared and submitted in due course.
IPD Sharing plan:
Anonymised participant-level data from the trial will be made available following publication. This data will deposited in the University of Southampton data repository and will be accessible to bona fide researchers on request.
Intention to publish date
31/12/2017
Participant level data
Available on request
Basic results (scientific)
See additional file ISRCTN15997004_BasicResults_01Feb17.docx
Publication list
Publication citations
Additional files
- ISRCTN15997004_BasicResults_01Feb17.docx Uploaded 03/03/2017