TY  - JOUR
AU  - Berry, Michael
AU  - Taylor, Lauren
AU  - Huang, Zhuoran
AU  - Chwyl, Christina
AU  - Kerrigan, Stephanie
AU  - Forman, Evan
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/11/6
TI  - Automated Messaging Delivered Alongside Behavioral Treatment for Weight Loss: Qualitative Study
JO  - JMIR Form Res
SP  - e50872
VL  - 7
KW  - mobile health technology
KW  - weight loss
KW  - tailored messaging
KW  - lifestyle modification
KW  - mobile health
KW  - mHealth
KW  - messaging
KW  - intervention
KW  - overweight
KW  - obesity
KW  - qualitative
KW  - thematic analysis
AB  - Background: Mobile health interventions for weight loss frequently use automated messaging. However, this intervention modality appears to have limited weight loss efficacy. Furthermore, data on users’ subjective experiences while receiving automated messaging–based interventions for weight loss are scarce, especially for more advanced messaging systems providing users with individually tailored, data-informed feedback. Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize the experiences of individuals with overweight or obesity who received automated messages for 6-12 months as part of a behavioral weight loss trial. Methods: Participants (n=40) provided Likert-scale ratings of messaging acceptability and completed a structured qualitative interview (n=39) focused on their experiences with the messaging system and generating suggestions for improvement. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants found the messages most useful for summarizing goal progress and least useful for suggesting new behavioral strategies. Overall message acceptability was moderate (2.67 out of 5). From the interviews, 2 meta-themes emerged. Participants indicated that although the messages provided useful reminders of intervention goals and skills, they did not adequately capture their lived experiences while losing weight. Conclusions: Many participants found the automated messages insufficiently tailored to their personal weight loss experiences. Future studies should explore alternative methods for message tailoring (eg, allowing for a higher degree of participant input and interactivity) that may boost treatment engagement and efficacy. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05231824; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05231824 
SN  - 2561-326X
UR  - https://formative.jmir.org/2023/1/e50872
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/50872
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37930786
DO  - 10.2196/50872
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/50872
ER  -