Effectiveness of Online Social Networks as an Alternative Delivery Platform for Weight Management Interventions

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight/obesity is high resulting from prolonged imbalance of energy intake and energy expenditure and has shown to be associated with significant co-morbidity in addition to increased economic costs. Current clinical guidelines recommend behavioral based programs, which target energy restriction and increasing energy expenditure to produce clinically relevant weight loss of 5% or more of initial body weight. However, weight loss continues to be problematic for individuals who are overweight or obese in part because of numerous barriers preventing participation in weight management programs, including cost, transportation, time, as well as family and job commitments. Alternate strategies to deliver weight management programs targeted to reduce the burden for both provider and participant in addition to reaching large groups of individuals are critical. Over recent years, the use of internet-delivered health care has greatly expanded. Similarly, there has been a dramatic increase in individuals pursuing information, sharing experiences, asking questions and providing support to peers about health online. The dramatic increase in technology has led to recent interest in online social networks as a possible delivery platform to deliver weight management programs that could have an impact on health care at the population level. However, the use of online social networks for delivery of weight management is in the early stages of development and the available literature on the effectiveness of this delivery system is limited.