Can innovation with Smartphones Alone assist Teens lose Weight?

by Matt Weik

Technology is a part of our daily life. What would we do without the utilize of smartphones today? We depend on them for phone calls, text messages, emails, even vital personal information. now smartphone individuals have included ‘health’ as a primary function of their phone applications. Teens are no exception. It’s not uncommon to see 10-year old’s (or even younger) walking around with a cell phone in their hand. Back in the day that was unheard of in our generation. now teens are playing games, having fun with friends, as well as even tracking their own personal health and wellness right on their smartphone. however does a smartphone truly equate into much better health and wellness for teens? science is stating no.

Let’s believe about something for a minute, exactly how many of you understand the phone number of your household as well as friends? had to really believe about it, right? While smartphones are extremely convenient, there are some drawbacks. With the increase of youth obesity these days, people are looking at innovation to assist track their health and wellness as well as fitness. however smartphone innovation is a double-edge sword. While it can be helpful in tracking nutrition as well as activity levels, it is likewise producing the impact where people aren’t being active as well as rather sit around on their phone playing games, texting, or watching YouTube videos.

A group of researchers put innovation to the test to see if teens were able to lose weight as well as preserve it with as well as then without the utilize of innovation on a smartphone in addition to in-person techniques. Researchers conducted a 24-week research study (two separate 12-week studies) where they looked at teens, their behavior, as well as their weight loss. One researcher put it finest when he said, “We understand that teens are on their phones, which provides us a method to step in in the moment. We wished to determine whether we might effectively utilize texting as well as a commercially-available smartphone app to assist adolescents with weight loss.” In order to do this, the researchers utilized the very first 12 weeks of the research study to work with the teens both with the utilize of a smartphone (text messaging) in addition to in person treatments. The participants were asked to find in for regular meetings with a clinician as well as discuss their eating patterns as well as physical activity each day. They were likewise sent text messages three times every day to assist motivate them to believe about their nutrition as well as activity levels. Each participant was likewise asked to utilize a health/fitness app to record their everyday exercise in addition to log their foods.

By the Camiseta Eintracht Frankfurt end of the very first 12 weeks, researchers assessed the participants’ results when utilizing the techniques. They discovered that on average, with the utilization of all the methods mentioned above, that the teens’ BMI was lowered by just under 1 point (0.08). The results of the very first 12-week research study increased the concern that if the in-person piece of the equation was removed, might innovation with the utilize of the smartphone still enable the teens to continue the program as well as lose weight or would they ultimately provide up as well as go back to their old behaviors?

For the second 12-week session, the researchers eliminated the in-person meetings as well as left the teens to just utilize the app as well as everyday text messages to assist them abide by improving their nutrition as well as activity levels on their own. What researchers discovered during this period is that over three-fourths of the participants stopped utilizing the app (yet text messages were still being sent—but were ignored) as well as almost all of them gained the weight back that they had lost in the very first 12 weeks of the study.

What this suggests is that while smartphones can do many things, human interaction assists abide Camiseta Selección de fútbol de Francia by specific programs—in this instance, weight loss as well as influencing activity levels. When you are no longer accountable to be present for an in-person experience, people are less likely to continue down specific paths. The in-person technique was a method to interact socially as well as interact with others in this study. When taken away, the teens lost all elements of the socialization as well as interactions they when had as well as were delegated just comply with the plan with the utilize of the app as well as text messages alone which failed miserably.

One researcher made the comment that the specific app utilized “doesn’t include all the things we understand are successful for weight control, like social support as well as the accountability that comes keeping that support. That support existed when the teens were satisfying with other teens as well as sharing their experiences. as well as that was taken away.” The research study shows that the social element of specific programs—specifically weight loss programs—can assist enhance retention as well as assist strengthen specific behaviors. While they aren’t stating the utilize of smartphone apps are worthless, what they are seeing with this research study is that with a combination of all methods, including in-person support, it has shown to be more successful than just innovation alone.

The exact same researcher went on to say, “We understand that self-monitoring is truly important for weight manage as it assists people be mindful about the foods they’re eating, however extremely few teens do it since it’s so laborious. Smartphones were extremely practical since they made self-monitoring more efficient—it’s much easier to scan a barcode than it is to track every calorie with paper as well as pen. However, you can’t totally replace in-person social media networks with online networks. however I believe one of the future directions of mobile health and wellness innovation is figuring out exactly how to take advantage of people’s naturally-occurring social media networks as well as utilizing household as well as good friends to fill the function that satisfying with a clinician would normally fill.”

When looking at the results, the researchers made a suggestion that future apps should try to add in some kind of online support system to assist enhance retention of the program. While this may never truly replace in-person support networks, it would be much better than nothing. having an app does have the capability to drive down the costs that are generally Camiseta Selección de fútbol de Japón connected with in-person programs as well as be an alternate option. So for those who are worried about the expense of a face-to-face program, an application on a smartphone may be their finest option.

Most people today understand the difference between a healthy food option as well as an unhealthy food choice. The space they are trying to fill is exactly how to get people to select that healthy food choice or the habits to be more active over a bad food option or complacency when it comes to exercising. There needs to be a method to assist people online a healthier way of life by enforcing healthier behaviors. with the utilize of apps that may happen, however in order to do so, there still needs to be an in-person or social element connected with it. So while innovation is amazing, it alone can’t assist people (or teens particularly according to this research) lose weight and/or keep it off.

Source:
Chad D Jensen, Kristina M Duncombe, mark A Lott, Sanita L Hunsaker, Kara M Duraccio, Susan J Woolford. An evaluation of a Smartphone–Assisted Behavioral Weight manage intervention for Adolescents: Pilot Study. JMIR mHealth as well as uHealth, 2016; 4 (3): e102 DOI: 10.2196/mhealth.6034