JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The obesity rate among women in Côte d'Ivoire is rising, particularly in urban areas. Merchantry is the leading occupation for women in the country, and Merchant women face a high risk of obesity owing to their sedentary lifestyle. A previous survey indicated that the obesity rate among Merchant women was 30%, double the national average. Furthermore, 82.2% of Merchant women with obesity were unaware of their condition, and 40.1% expressed no interest in losing weight. While most weight-loss programs target individuals ready to lose weight, community interventions should also address those with minimal readiness. Additionally, low-cost weight-loss interventions that do not require health professionals are needed in countries with limited medical resources. Use of smartphones could offer a cost-effective solution as it enables self-monitoring and remote communication.

Objective:

This study will evaluate a low-cost, smartphones-based intervention targeting individuals with minimal readiness to lose weight without health professionals’ involvement.

Methods:

The intervention will run for 6 months, and its efficacy will be assessed in an unblinded, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 108 participants per group. All direct interventions for participants in this study will be carried out by staff without medical qualifications. The intervention group will receive weighing scales and be encouraged to record their weight with a smartphone application. Health education will be provided via weekly group messages and monthly phone calls. The evaluation will be conducted face-to-face. The primary outcome will be the weight change, and the secondary outcome will be differences in body fat percentage, abdominal circumference, stage of behavioral change in weight loss behaviors from baseline to 3, 6 and 12 months.

Results:

In accordance with this protocol, the recruitments of participants started on August 26, 2024. A total of 216 participants were allocated, with 108 in the intervention group and 108 in the control group. The baseline survey began on November 15, 2024 and is currently ongoing as of the end of November 2024.

Conclusions:

This study will be the first in sub-Sahara African countries to implement a smartphone application-based weight loss program in Sub-Saharan Africa that does not require direct intervention by healthcare professionals but specifically targets communities. Furthermore, if the effectiveness of this program is confirmed, it has the potential to serve as a low-cost, sustainable weight loss model at the policy level. Clinical Trial: The study was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) (ID: 000055142).