TDNet Discover

Background: Obesity is a serious metabolic disease that is increasing in prevalence across the United States. Current guidelines for weight loss and obesity management are centered on healthier dieting and increased exercise. With advancements in technology and the availability of wearable devices, patients today have access to a variety of electronic weight loss tools. These devices range from phone applications, activity trackers, food logs, and step counters. Objective: The purpose of this research was to determine if wearable technology should be included in obesity management guidelines for weight loss management and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in obese adults. Methods: An evidence-based medicine literature search was conducted using the databases South College Discover Search and PubMed. Search terms included “wearable technologies and weight loss,” “wearable technology and weight management,” and “wearable technology and obesity management.” The inclusion criteria required articles to be either a meta-analysis, systematic review, or a controlled trial. In addition, subjects needed to be 18 years or older, have a BMI greater than 25, and the intervention group needed to use a form of wearable technology. Articles that used pharmacological or surgical means for weight loss and studies that were limited to special populations were excluded. Two researchers independently reviewed each selected article to make sure they met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. A data extraction and quality assessment using the NHLBI quality tools were completed for each study. Results: Four final articles were selected for analysis. The studies comprised of three systematic reviews and one pilot study. The systematic reviews studied weight loss and physical activity differences between intervention groups using a form of wearable technology and control groups using traditional forms of weight loss. The first systematic review investigated 12 articles, 11 of which demonstrated significant weight loss in the intervention groups, but the weight loss was not maintained past 1 or 2 years. The second systematic review analyzed 11 studies, but only four showed favorable results in the groups that used wearable technology. The third systematic review had five studies, in which three showed benefits between weight loss and wearable technology. The results were not found to be statistically significant. The pilot study showed the participants improved in several metabolic parameters after using wearable technology for 12 weeks. Conclusion: The evidence provided from the included studies did not support wearable technologies being included in obesity management guidelines. Much of the research did not support any greater efficacy of using wearable technology for weight loss when compared to using traditional weight loss methods. This finding applied to both short-term weight loss and long-term weight management. While wearable technology could have a role as an adjunct in motivating an individual with their fitness goals, it should not be recommended by a provider when helping a patient lose weight. Instead, providers should emphasize the importance of diet and exercise first before discussing alternative adjuncts for weight management.