Effect of internet support on the long-term maintenance of weight loss.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy of an Internet weight maintenance program.


METHODS
Two hundred fifty-five healthy overweight and obese adults (mean +/- SD BMI, 31.8 +/- 4.1 kg/m(2)) men (18%; mean +/- SD age, 45.8 +/- 8.9 yrs) participated in a 6-month behavioral weight control program conducted over interactive television. Treatment was followed by a 12-month weight maintenance program with three conditions: frequent in-person support (F-IPS), minimal in-person support (M-IPS) and internet support (IS). Main outcome measures included body weight, program adherence, and social influence components.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences among the groups in weight loss (mean +/- SD) from baseline to 18 months (7.6 +/- 7.3 kg vs. 5.5 +/- 8.9 kg vs. 5.1 +/- 6.5 kg, p = 0.23 for the IS, M-IPS, and F-IPS, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Participants assigned to an internet-based weight maintenance program sustained comparable weight loss over 18 months compared with individuals who continued to meet face-to-face. Therefore, the internet appears to be a viable medium for promoting long-term weight maintenance.
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405-0148, USA. Jean.Harvey-Berino@uvm.edu
Jean
J
Harvey-Berino
Stephen
S
Pintauro
Paul
P
Buzzell
Elizabeth Casey
EC
Gold
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss