Longitudinal Effects of a Commercial Digital Weight Management Program on Weight Loss

The proposed study seeks to rigorously evaluate and compare the effectiveness of a fully remote digital weight management program (Noom Weight) to an educational control. Potential participants will be recruited via social media advertisements, which include a brief study description, eligibility criteria, and a link to a web-based screening questionnaire to assess eligibility and interest. If deemed eligible, participants will be invited to complete informed consent and baseline questionnaires. Study staff will then use a random number generator to allocate participants randomly to the Noom Weight program or the educational control. All participants will receive a cellular-connected digital scale (Body Trace), which will be linked to participant IDs and synced to record weigh-ins automatically. During the initial 16 weeks, Noom Weight participants will be invited to engage with the mobile-based app, which focuses on weight loss and management via behavioral change, and provides features such as self-monitoring, psychoeducational articles, one-on-one coaching from health experts, and group support. Educational control participants will receive 16 weekly weight loss-related educational emails based on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines. After completing the program at 16 weeks, participants will be asked to complete an online questionnaire assessing weight, physical activity, eating disorder risk, and body appreciation. Additional data collection will occur via online questionnaires at 29, 42, and 68 weeks.