Online Weight Loss (OWL)

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Testing the short-term effectiveness of Online Weight loss programmes: OWL

  • IRAS ID

    263985

  • Contact name

    NA CTRG

  • Contact email

    ctrg@admin.ox.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Oxford/ Clinical Trials and Research Governance

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 11 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    A quarter of all adults in the UK are obese and three-quarters of these people are seeking to lose weight, but mostly without professional support. Online weight loss programmes can provide a way to access behavioural support that may be more acceptable for some people as there is anonymity. There is some promising evidence that online weight loss programmes are effective in the short term. The outstanding question is which online weight loss programmes are both effective and can be provided at a larger scale as part of an NHS referral scheme.

    We propose a randomised controlled trial to examine the short-term effectiveness of three online weight loss programmes: Slimming World, Rosemary Conley, and NHS Choices. We have chosen two programmes that have already shown to be effective in the NHS when offered as face to face groups and the programme developed for the NHS. These weight loss programmes will be compared to a control group (self-management). Through healthcare providers and from the community we will recruit five hundred and four adults who are classified as obese (BMI ≥30kg/m2). After eligibility has been checked and participants have given consent they will be enrolled in one of the four arms. The primary outcome will be changes in weight from baseline to eight weeks between each of the intervention and the control group. The whole study will be performed online, with participants having the option to get in contact with the research team via email or telephone.

  • REC name

    South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    19/SC/0210

  • Date of REC Opinion

    9 Aug 2019

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion