Mobile Phones as a Self-Monitoring Tool
Cell Phone Text Messages
As Self-Monitoring Reminders:
A Master’s Proposal
Brent Clayton
University of Utah
Department of Health Education and Promotion
I. Background
a. Maintaining Weight Loss
Obesity prevalence in the United States is astoundingly high. Obesity rates among adults 18 years and older now exceeds 30% for both sex in the United States (Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, & Curtin, 2010). As the obesity rate increases, so does the income for the diet industry. It is estimated that diet companies earned $68.7 billion in 2010 (MarketData, 2010). John LaRosa, research director at Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., a company that compiles statistics of the diet industry, states, “Americans are still patronizing scam artists and rip-off weight loss companies as much as they ever have, as they desperately search for the magic formula or plan that makes weight loss effortless (MarketData, 2010).” Despite the increase in participation in diet services, research shows that diets normally do not produce maintained weight loss (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels, & Chatman, 2007). Mann, et.al (2007) even conclude in their research that, while dieting led to short term weight loss, it often led to more weight gains after the diet was finished.
If maintaining weight loss is the ultimate goal for someone looking to lose any excess weight, what works? Exercising consistently and eating the recommended servings of food is understood as the best method to losing weight. It has also been shown that self-monitoring has a positive effect on maintaining weight loss (Baker & Kirschenbaum, 1993; Elfhag & Rossner, 2005; Kruger, Michels-Blanck & Gillespie, 2006). Self-monitoring includes behaviors such as weighing oneself, tracking foods eaten, exercise completed, etc (Kruger, et al, 2006). One study found that 17.7% of people who successfully maintained their weight loss reported tracking their food content on most days of the week compared
As Self-Monitoring Reminders:
A Master’s Proposal
Brent Clayton
University of Utah
Department of Health Education and Promotion
I. Background
a. Maintaining Weight Loss
Obesity prevalence in the United States is astoundingly high. Obesity rates among adults 18 years and older now exceeds 30% for both sex in the United States (Flegal, Carroll, Ogden, & Curtin, 2010). As the obesity rate increases, so does the income for the diet industry. It is estimated that diet companies earned $68.7 billion in 2010 (MarketData, 2010). John LaRosa, research director at Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., a company that compiles statistics of the diet industry, states, “Americans are still patronizing scam artists and rip-off weight loss companies as much as they ever have, as they desperately search for the magic formula or plan that makes weight loss effortless (MarketData, 2010).” Despite the increase in participation in diet services, research shows that diets normally do not produce maintained weight loss (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels, & Chatman, 2007). Mann, et.al (2007) even conclude in their research that, while dieting led to short term weight loss, it often led to more weight gains after the diet was finished.
If maintaining weight loss is the ultimate goal for someone looking to lose any excess weight, what works? Exercising consistently and eating the recommended servings of food is understood as the best method to losing weight. It has also been shown that self-monitoring has a positive effect on maintaining weight loss (Baker & Kirschenbaum, 1993; Elfhag & Rossner, 2005; Kruger, Michels-Blanck & Gillespie, 2006). Self-monitoring includes behaviors such as weighing oneself, tracking foods eaten, exercise completed, etc (Kruger, et al, 2006). One study found that 17.7% of people who successfully maintained their weight loss reported tracking their food content on most days of the week compared
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