Can a text message at the right time boost weight loss?
NCT ID NCT05625061
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether sending specific motivational messages at just the right moment helps young adults with overweight or obesity meet their daily weight loss goals. Over 200 participants used a smartphone app with a weight loss program, and some received extra messages targeting behaviors like weighing themselves, being active, or eating less red foods. The goal was to see if these 'just-in-time' messages improve daily adherence to healthy habits.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention (just-in-time adaptive messaging via smartphone app)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could make digital weight loss programs more effective by sending the right motivational message at the right moment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed micro-randomized trial focused on short-term daily goals, not long-term weight loss. The messages may not work for everyone, and results may not apply outside this specific app and age group.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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255 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2023
- Finished
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Jan 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 39 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Body mass index (BMI) of 25 - 45 kg/m\^2 at baseline * English-speaking, reading, and writing * Own a smartphone with a data and text messaging plan Exclusion Criteria: * Type 1 diabetes or currently receiving medical treatment for Type 2 diabetes * Report a heart condition, chest pain during periods of activity or rest, or loss of consciousness on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q; items 1-4). * Other health problems which may influence the ability to walk for physical activity or be associated with unintentional weight change, including cancer treatment within the past 5 years or tuberculosis * Lost 10 lbs. or more of body weight (and kept it off) in the last 6 months * Past diagnosis of or receiving treatment for a clinically diagnosed eating disorder (anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa) * Current symptoms of alcohol or substance dependence * Currently pregnant, pregnant within the past 6 months, or planning to become pregnant within the next 6 months * Untreated thyroid disease or any changes (type or dose) in thyroid medication in last 6 months * Hospitalization for depression or other psychiatric disorder within the past 12 months * History of psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder * Currently participating in a weight loss, nutrition, or physical activity study or program or other study that would interfere with this study * Currently using prescription medications with known effects on appetite or weight (e.g., oral steroids, weight loss medications), with the exception of individuals on a stable dose of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) for 3 months) * Previous surgical procedure for weight loss or planned weight loss surgery in the next year * Another member of the household is a participant or staff member on this trial * Reason to suspect that the participant would not adhere to the study intervention * Reside outside of the United States * Have participated in another study conducted by the UNC Weight Research Program within the past 12 months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
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