Digital Weight Management Interventions: A review of commercial solutions and survey analysis of user needs
This research addresses the gap in understanding user needs for digital weight management services, which is crucial for improving accessibility and effectiveness in combating obesity, though it is incremental as it builds on existing knowledge of digital health interventions.
The study systematically reviewed 26 commercial digital weight management interventions (DWMIs) and surveyed 207 users to identify features and user needs, finding that DWMIs often lack social support, virtual reality, and adaptive personalization, while users prefer smartphone apps and fitness trackers for tracking progress.
Obesity is a global health challenge. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 1990 and 2022, adult obesity more than doubled. Weight management interventions (WMIs) support individuals in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight through dietary guidance, physical activity promotion and behavioural counselling. However, traditional WMIs often have limited accessibility. Digital WMIs or DWMIs are delivered via websites or smartphone applications and provide scalable and cost-effective alternatives. However, user needs for digital services and their prevalence in the existing commercial solutions remain underexplored. Hence, our study systematically identified 26 commercial DWMIs to identify their features, services, and data collection practices. Additionally, we performed a user needs analysis by recruiting 207 individuals involved in a real-life WMI. Our findings indicated that DWMIs integrated self-monitoring, goal setting, and behaviour change strategies, yet lack social support, virtual reality applications and adaptive personalisation. WMI clients prefer smartphone Apps and fitness trackers for tracking weight management progress and have varying levels of comfort in using digital resources. The presented results serve as recommendations for future directions in the design and implementation of services for DWMIs.