LISA LILLIEN, the Internet weight-loss goddess also known as Hungry Girl, is into French manicures and Brazilian hair straightening.
In a study of 3,621 subscribers of an internet based weight loss program, participants with high adherence to a food diary were more likely to achieve clinically significant weight loss [ 30].
At baseline, data were collected on demographic characteristics (age, sex, years of education, use of Internet), height, weight, blood pressure, smoking, alcohol intake, cardio-metabolic past medical history, use of medications, diet assessment scores, and laboratory values.
A wide array of Internet-based weight loss resources exist [ 10].
The results suggest that the Internet-based weight control resource was not a cost-effective tool for weight loss in the obese sample studied.
This trial represents the first attempt to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an Internet-based weight control package against usual care for the management of obesity.
Increased personalised feedback could be one of the keys to increasing compliance and success of the Internet-based weight control resources.
A study by Womble et al recently reported that a commercial Internet-based weight loss program was less effective than a standardised, structured behavioural weight loss manual in terms of weight loss [ 11].
In the DPP, the intervention cost was $1,476/ per patient-year, but group-format interventions with a lay instructor have been carried out for $243 per patient-year and it may be possible to extend the approach to commercial and internet-based weight loss programs.
