TRACIT: Comparison of Dietary Self-Monitoring Adherence Using Targeted Vs. Traditional Monitoring in Young Adults

Abstract

Obesity is a growing concern in young adult populations; however, this age group often demonstrates reduced treatment engagement and success as compared to older populations. Previous research has attempted to increase engagement in this age group through reducing treatment-related burden including reducing length and type of intervention contact. However, research has yet to examine the effect of reducing nutrition monitoring as a mechanism for reducing treatment burden and increasing engagement in overweight/obese young adults. Research on nutrition monitoring has shown that consistency and frequency of nutrition are more predictive of weight loss than total caloric intake recording. Further, research has demonstrated that certain foods contribute more to weight change than other foods. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a targeted nutrition monitoring mobile phone application focused on recording only a small group of specific food items that have been consistently linked to weight change in prior research. Further, this study examined frequency and consistency of nutrition recording with targeted monitoring versus traditional, total caloric intake, monitoring in a young adult female sample. Participants included 57 young adult women who were randomized to complete four weeks of nutrition monitoring with a traditional monitoring mobile phone application (MyFitnessPal) or a targeted mobile phone application (TRACIT) developed by the research team. The targeted app, TRACIT, was designed to reduce monitoring burden by focusing nutrition recording on foods and beverages most linked to weight change by prior research. Differences in monitoring frequency and consistency between randomization arms were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U Test. The relationship between baseline demographic, personality variables and monitoring behavior as well as post-test ratings of mobile app perceptions and monitoring behavior were examined using Pearson Correlation. On average, participants recorded nutrition for 19.86 out of the 28 days of the study. No significant differences between MyFitnessPal users and TRACIT users were found for monitoring frequency or consistency. TRACIT users rated TRACIT as significantly less time-consuming and stressful than MyFitnessPal; however, MyFitnessPal users reported greater likelihood of continued app use in the future and greater likelihood of recommending their app to a friend. Further, post-hoc analyses revealed that participants receiving course credit for completion of pre and post-test assessment monitored significantly less consistently than participants not receiving course credit.