International Journal of
Environmental Research
and Public Health
Article
Effect of Mobile-Based Lifestyle Intervention on Weight Loss
among the Overweight and Obese Elderly Population in China:
A Randomized Controlled Trial
Mingzhu Zhou
1,2
, Na Zhang
1,2
, Yu Zhang
1,2
, Xinyu Yan
1,2
, Muxia Li
1,2
, Wen Guo
1,2
, Xiaohui Guo
3
,
Hairong He
1,2
, Kaiwei Guo
1,2
and Guansheng Ma
1,2,
*
Citation: Zhou, M.; Zhang, N.;
Zhang, Y.; Yan, X.; Li, M.; Guo, W.;
Guo, X.; He, H.; Guo, K.; Ma, G. Effect
of Mobile-Based Lifestyle
Intervention on Weight Loss among
the Overweight and Obese Elderly
Population in China: A Randomized
Controlled Trial. Int. J. Environ. Res.
Public Health 2021, 18, 8825. https://
doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168825
Academic Editor: Keun Ho Ryu
Received: 28 July 2021
Accepted: 20 August 2021
Published: 21 August 2021
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1
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue Yuan Road,
Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China; zmz6290@163.com (M.Z.); ziqingxuanping@126.com (N.Z.);
zhangyu30171026@163.com (Y.Z.); hilaryyxy@bjmu.edu.cn (X.Y.); lmuxia91@126.com (M.L.);
wguo14@pku.edu.cn (W.G.); hehairong_16@bjmu.edu.cn (H.H.); 18838008086@163.com (K.G.)
2
Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, 38 Xue Yuan
Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
3
College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China;
guoxiaohui@cau.edu.cn
* Correspondence: mags@bjmu.edu.cn; Tel./Fax: +86-010-82805266
Abstract:
Background and Objective: Overweight or obesity, as an independent risk factor for
chronic diseases, has been on the rise globally. Adopting a healthy lifestyle is positive to weight
control. Mobile-based lifestyle interventions have shown potential benefits in weight loss, but
most studies were carried out among non-elderly population, so it is necessary to perform well-
designed randomized controlled trials among the elderly with overweight or obesity. The purpose
of this study is to assess the effect of mobile-based lifestyle intervention on weight loss among the
overweight and obese elderly population in China. Methods: This is a prospective, open-labeled,
three-month, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involving 750 participants from five cities
who were randomly assigned to dietary and physical activity interventions group (DPG; mobile
phone with the App and bracelet), physical activity interventions group (PG; mobile phone with
the App and bracelet) and control group (CG; no interventions and kept their lifestyle as before).
The outcomes evaluated were changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC),
and hip circumference (HC). Results: In total, 642 (85.6%) participants completed the study, 237
(94.8%), 203 (81.2%), and 202 (80.8%) for DPG, PG, and CG respectively. Comparing with PG and CG,
the DPG showed a significant decrease in all outcomes after three months, including body weight
(
−
4.1 kg vs.
−
1.0 kg;
−
4.1 kg vs.
−
0.8 kg; p < 0.05), BMI (
−
1.6 kg/m
2
vs.
−
0.4 kg/m
2
;
−
1.6 kg/m
2
vs.
−
0.3 kg/m
2
; p < 0.05), WC (
−
2.8 cm vs.
−
0.1 cm;
−
2.8 cm vs.
−
0.5 cm; p < 0.05), and HC
(
−
3.8 cm vs.
−
1.3 cm;
−
3.8 cm vs.
−
1.3 cm; p < 0.05). Similar effects were seen across sex and BMI
subgroups. Conclusions: Mobile-based lifestyle intervention obtained beneficial effect in weight loss
among the elderly with overweight or obesity. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to confirm
the effectiveness and its sustainability.
Keywords: mobile-based lifestyle intervention; weight loss; the elderly; overweight and obesity
1. Introduction
The world is aging. The absolute number of people aged 60 or over is expected
to rise to 1.4 billion by 2030, 2.1 billion by 2050 and is likely to exceed 3.2 billion by
2100 [
1
]. With the development of society, people’s life expectancy has increased [
2
].
However, longer life expectancy does not necessarily mean longer healthy life but an
increase in additional years of chronic diseases [3].
Globally, overweight and obesity are rising progressively, not only among children
and young adults but also among the elderly [
4
]. Body mass index (BMI) and waist
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 8825. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168825 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
