Text Messages With Financial Incentives for Men With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors' conclusion
Among men with obesity, an intervention with text messaging with financial incentive significantly improved weight loss compared with a control group, whereas text messaging alone was not significantly better than the control condition. These findings support text messaging combined with financial incentives to attain weight loss in men with obesity.
Study context
- Population
- Men with body mass index (BMI) ≥30, Belfast, Bristol and Glasgow areas, UK; mean age 50.7 years, mean BMI 37.7, 90% White; all received weight management information and a pedometer426 completed 12-month follow-up
- Participants
- 585 men
- Comparison
- Text messages with financial incentives, or text messages alone, vs waiting list control
- Primary endpoint
- Within-participant % weight change, each intervention vs control (minimum clinically important difference 3%; significance P < .025 per comparison)
- Follow-up
- 12 months
Methodological detailsassessor-blinded, 3 sites (Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow areas, UK), Enrolled July 2021–May 2022; final follow-up June 2023
- Assessor-blinded
- 3 sites (Belfast, Bristol, Glasgow areas, UK)
- Enrolled July 2021–May 2022; final follow-up June 2023
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Text messaging with financial incentives
−4.8%
mean · SD 6.1%
Text messaging alone
−2.7%
mean · SD 6.3%
Control
−1.3%
mean · SD 5.5%
Further findings
Mean, kg
| Outcome | Text messaging with financial incentives | Text messaging alone | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean weight change · 12 months | −5.7 (SD 7.4) | −3.0 (SD 7.5) | −1.5 (SD 6.6) |
Safety
Serious adverse events · percentages are shares of all serious AEs
- Serious adverse events — Total serious AEs
- 23 (6.3%)
Adverse events
- Adverse events reported
- 366
- Most common AEs: infections
- 83 [23%]
Serious adverse events
- None considered related to participating in a trial group
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →