JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Background:

Being overweight or obese presents a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders. These problems are preventable and solvable via weight reduction and increased physical activity and exercise. The number of overweight or obese individuals has tripled in the last four decades. Utilizing mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) can help users with health issues, including reducing their weight by restricting their daily calorie intake, which can be recorded along with other parameters, such as physical activity and exercise. These features could further enhance health and prevent NCDs. ThaiSook™, a Thai mHealth app developed by the National Science and Technology Development Agency, aims to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce NCDs risk behaviours.

Objective:

Objective:

This study aimed to determine whether ThaiSook™ users were successful in one-month weight reduction and identify which demographic factors or logging functions were associated with significant weight reduction.

Methods:

Methods:

A secondary data analysis was performed using data collected from the “MED PSU × ThaiSook™ Healthier Challenge”, a month-long challenge to encourage a healthy lifestyle. We enrolled 376 participants to evaluate the study outcomes. The variables, comprising demographic characteristics (i.e., sex, generation, group size, and body mass index [BMI]), were classified into four groups: normal (18.5–22.9 kg/m2), overweight (23–24.9 kg/m2), obese I (25–29.9 kg/m2), and obese II (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Logging functions (i.e., water, fruit and vegetables, sleep, workout, step and run) were classified into two groups: consistent (≥80%) and inconsistent (<80%) users. Weight reduction was categorized into three groups: weight gain, slight weight reduction (0–3%), and significant weight reduction (>3%).

Results:

Results:

The 376 participants were predominantly female (92.0%), with normal BMI (47.3%), Generation Y (42.9%), and medium group size (6–10 members) (66.5%). The results showed 14.9% of participants had one-month significant weight loss, and the median weight reduction of the group was -3.85% (IQR=-3.40, -4.50). Most participants (70.2%) experienced weight loss, with an overall median weight loss of -1.08% (IQR=-2.40, 0.00). The factors associated with significant weight reduction were consistently logging workouts (AOR=1.69, 95%CI=1.07–2.68), being Generation Z (AOR=3.06, 95%CI=1.01–9.33), and being overweight or obese, compared to those with normal BMI (AOR=2.66, 95%CI=1.41–5.07, and AOR=1.76, 95%CI=1.08–2.87, respectively).

Conclusions:

Conclusions:

More than half of the “MED PSU × ThaiSook™ Healthier Challenge” participants achieved a slight weight reduction, and 14.9% of users lost significant weight. Factors including workout logging, being Generation Z, being overweight, and obesity were associated with significant weight reduction. Clinical Trial: The clinical trial was registered according to the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO-ICTRP) at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR) with registry ID TCTR20220611001.