Evaluation of the Effect of Two Online Interventions -Watch Your Weight During the Holidays Program and the Relative 5:2 Fasting- for the Prevention of Body Weight Gain at 8 Weeks in Mexican Adults in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Summary

Introduction. Obesity is the main risk factor for the development of chronic degenerative diseases in Mexico and other countries around the world. Due to the difficulty of treating obesity, it is necessary to change the curative paradigm for a preventive one. A review showed that holiday periods during the year are critical points for weight gain. The holiday season is the festive period with the greatest impact on adults' body weight. Observational studies have shown that more than 50% of the annual weight is gained during this period. However, few preventive interventions in the festive period have been carried out globally. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be negatively affecting diet, physical activity and body weight. So preventive interventions are needed, especially those that can be implemented in an online format. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of two online interventions -Watch your Weight during the Holidays Program and the Relative 5:2 Fasting - on the prevention of body weight gain from baseline to 8 weeks in comparison with a control group in Mexican adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This is a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). The primary outcome is the change in body weight from baseline to 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes are the percentage of retention / desertion of the participants, adherence to interventions, participant satisfaction scale, changes in other obesity parameters, biochemical, physical, and quality of life variables from baseline to 8 weeks. Obesity and quality of life parameters from baseline to 52 weeks are also secondary outcomes. The statistical analysis of the primary and secondary variables will be conducted, according to their distribution, by intention to treat and, secondarily, by completer´s analysis.

Conditions

• Weight Gain
• Overweight
• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Watch your Weight During the Holidays Program

Participants in this group will have two video call individual sessions and one video call group session. This intervention will include self-monitoring strategies (self-weighing, diet monitoring and physical activity), and nutrition counseling and education. In addition, participants in this group will receive a weighing scale to achieve self-monitoring of body weight from the beginning of the study intervention until the end of the 52-weeks follow-up.

OTHER

Relative 5:2 Fasting

Participants in this group will will have two video call individual sessions and one video call group session. This intervention will receive eating recommendations to follow a 5:2 intermittent fasting. They will be given low-calorie menus of 550 kcal and 660 kcal, for women and men respectively, which the participants in this group will apply on fasting days. The fasting will be held twice a week and on the remaining five days, the participants will not have any type of caloric restriction (it will be ad libitum). They will only have the general recommendation to adhere to a healthy dietary pattern.

OTHER

Control Group

Participants in this group will receive online information and a PDF file brochure during an individual video call session at the beginning of the 8-week period. This information will be about leading a healthy eating based on the norm for health promotion and education for healthy eating in Mexico (NOM-043-SSA2-2012).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad de Sonora

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Rolando G Díaz Zavala, Ph.D. · Universidad de Sonora

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-11-10

Primary Completion

2022-02-11

Completion

2022-02-11

Countries

• Mexico

Study Locations