Outcomes of ‘My Life Plan’ An Inclusive Digital Weight Loss Programme by Morelife

This service evaluation assessed the 12-week digital ‘My Life Plan’ programme, completed by 262 clients who self-reported weight and engaged weekly. Results indicate short-term weight loss benefits, particularly for clients with hypertension and diabetes, warranting further study on long-term effectiveness and user characteristics.

Outcomes of ‘My Life Plan’ An Inclusive Digital Weight Loss Programme by Morelife

Dr AB Sirin-Ayva, Dr Sophie Edwards, Victoria Simpson, Prof Paul Gately

Introduction

Individuals living in deprived areas may experience some barriers to accessing weight management services (NICE, 2023). Common barriers include language barriers, shift work, childcare, and lifestyle. Research shows that digital interventions help support weight loss in adults living with obesity and overweight (Berry, Kassavou & Sutton, 2021).

My Life Plan (MLP) was created by Morelife, an interactive digital platform consisting of 12 weekly sessions with educational videos, recipes, podcasts and other nutrition, physical activity and psychology resources.

The platform is accessible through mobile phones and computers. It has Auto-translation to 98 languages and ReachDeck assistive technologies: text-to-speech, translations, Picture Dictionary, Screen Mask (reduces visual stress/improves focus), text magnifier, webpage simplifier (removes potentially distracting content), and multiple formats including Easy Read. Recipes on this platform reflect a variety of cultures, religions, beliefs and financial pressures. The platform has progress and interactive goals/exercise trackers, motivational and personalised nudges and interactive challenges. This digital platform has been offered to Morelife clients as an option for weight management purposes.

Methods

This service evaluation aims to analyse the outcomes of the MLP platform. In total, 262 (155 female, 107 male) clients completed the digital programme by engaging with the content for 12 weekly sessions and uploading their self-measured weight between weeks 8 and 12.

Conclusion

These outcomes show that the MLP digital programme helps clients with hypertension and diabetes lose weight in 12 weeks. Future research is needed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this platform for weight loss maintenance and to identify characteristics of those most likely to have success using a digital platform for weight management.

References:

  1. NICE Health Inequalities Briefing, 2023, 2023. Retrieved from Participants of this pilot group find it helpful with changing their dietary and physical activity habits and their sleep quality. Further data is required to analyse long term effects of this programme. Rhiannon, B., Aikaterini, K. & Sutton, s. (2021). Does self-monitoring diet and physical activity behaviors using digital technology support adults with obesity or overweight to lose weight? A systematic literature review with meta-analysis. Obesity reviews: an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 22, 20. DOI. 10.1111/obr.13306