Self-Monitoring in Weight Loss: A Systematic Review of the Literature

By Lora E. Burke, Jing Wang, M. Sevick. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011

1,225 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Self-monitoring is the centerpiece of behavioral weight loss intervention programs. This article presents a systematic review of the literature on three components of self-monitoring in behavioral weight loss studies: diet, exercise and self-weighing. This review included articles that were published between 1993 and 2009 that reported on the relationship between weight loss and these self-monitoring strategies. Of the 22 studies identified, 14 focused on dietary self-monitoring, one on self-monitoring exercise and six on self-weighing. A wide array of methods was used to perform self-monitoring; the paper diary was used most often. Adherence to self-monitoring was reported most frequently as the number of diaries completed or the frequency of log-ins or reported weights. The use of technology, which included the Internet, personal digital assistants and electronic digital scales were reported in five studies. Descriptive designs were used in the earlier studies while more recent reports involved prospective studies and randomized trials that examined the effect of self-monitoring on weight loss. A significant association between self-monitoring and weight loss was consistently found; however, the level of evidence was weak because of methodological limitations. The most significant limitations of the reviewed studies were the homogenous samples and reliance on self-report. In all but two studies, the samples were predominantly White and female. This review highlights the need for studies in more diverse populations, for objective measures of adherence to self-monitoring, and for studies that establish the required dose of self-monitoring for successful outcomes.

Subfields: Applied Psychology, Clinical Psychology, General Health Professions

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/830e314f4bbf92f0946a421db99338e7a2a35549

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Applied Psychology

1. Lora E. Burke
2. Michelle Carter
3. M. Sevick
4. C. Nykjaer
5. J. Cade
6. V. Burley

In Clinical Psychology

1. L. Ewing

In General Health Professions

1. Lora E. Burke
2. Michelle Carter
3. M. Sevick
4. C. Nykjaer
5. K. Glanz
6. J. Cade
7. V. Burley

Citations in the corpus

• Adherence to a Smartphone Application for Weight Loss Compared to Website and Paper Diary: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (2013, background): “Adherence to self-monitoring is an important process outcome because it has been consistently linked to weight loss [39].”
• Using mHealth Technology to Enhance Self-Monitoring for Weight Loss A Randomized Trial (2012, background): “6 Since then, the evidence has continued to build, demonstrating a consistent relationship between self-monitoring and weight loss 7 and weight loss maintenance.”
• A Practical Approach for Recognizing Eating Moments with Wrist-Mounted Inertial Sensing (2015, background): “Recently, health concerns linked to dietary behaviors such as obesity and diabetes have fueled demand for dietary self-monitoring, since it is one of the most effective methods for weight control [6].”