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Weight Loss and Engagement Among Users of a Dietitian-Led Digital Nutrition Platform: A Retrospective Cohort Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The global burden of overweight and obesity is growing, expected to affect half of the world’s adult population by 2050. This is increasing the need for comprehensive weight management support. Digital nutrition platforms have emerged as an accessible solution that can be implemented at scale. Nutrium Care is an employer-sponsored program delivered via the Nutrium platform, facilitating dietitian-led nutrition counseling through consultations and in-app communication, while also enabling users to track food intake, water consumption, and physical activity.
Objective:
This study set out to evaluate the Nutrium Care program, by characterizing longitudinal weight changes and estimating associations between program engagement and weight loss.
Methods:
The study included 10,151 users, predominantly female (66%) and between the ages of 18 and 49 (94%), who contributed on average seven months of data to the cohort. In the first three months, users lost 2.2 kg (2.2% of baseline body weight; 95% CI 2.1 to 2.3 kg; P<.001) on average, increasing to 2.8 kg (3.3%; 95% CI 2.7 to 2.9 kg; P<.001) by six months. At six months, over half of users (54%) achieved ≥3% weight loss, 37% achieved ≥5%, and 11% reached at least 10% weight loss. Among users who lost weight by three months, 74% maintained this at 12 months. Higher program engagement was associated with more weight loss across metrics. Dietitian appointments at least once every two months had the strongest association among engagement metrics, corresponding to 1.7 kg (95% CI 1.5 to 2.0 kg; P<.001) additional weight loss after six months.
Results:
The study included 10,151 patients, predominantly female (66%) and between the ages of 18 and 49 (94%), who contributed on average seven months of data to the cohort. In the first three months, users lost 2.2 kg (2.2% of baseline body weight; 95% CI 2.1 to 2.3 kg; P<.001) on average, increasing to 2.8 kg (3.3%; 95% CI 2.7 to 2.9 kg; P<.001) by six months. At six months, over half of users (54%) achieved ≥3% weight loss, 37% achieved ≥5%, and 11% reached at least 10% weight loss. Among users who lost weight by three months, 74% maintained this at 12 months. Higher program engagement was associated with more weight loss across metrics. Dietitian appointments at least once every two months had the strongest association among engagement metrics, corresponding to 1.7 kg (95% CI 1.5 to 2.0 kg; P<.001) additional weight loss after six months.
Conclusions:
This study addresses a critical research gap on hybrid nutrition interventions integrating professional dietitian support with an employer-sponsored digital nutrition program. Users achieved clinically meaningful and sustained weight loss. Regular dietitian contact emerged as the strongest engagement driver of improved outcomes, supporting the value of professional support integrated in accessible digital weight management programs.
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