Self-monitoring and public posting improve competitive youth cyclists' training performance

This study investigated the effects of self-monitoring and public posting on the cycling performance of competitive youth cyclists. We measured three primary dependent variables: performance volume, intensity precision, and performance-duration deviation. In addition, we evaluated self-monitoring accuracy and social validity. The participants were three males aged 14-16 years. We used an ABAB design to evaluate an intervention package that consisted primarily of self-monitoring and public posting. Athletes self-monitored their performance after training using an online summative Google Form. The coach publicly posted performance-based rankings on the social media application WhatsApp. Results indicate that the intervention package positively improved all performance measures across all athletes. Social-validity measures were also favorable.

Characterising individual variability in associations between self-monitoring and weight change during and after a behavioral weight management program

Objective

Greater self-monitoring of caloric intake and weight has been associated with success at both initial weight loss and long-term maintenance. Given the existence of wide variability in weight loss outcomes and the key role of self-monitoring within behavioral weight management interventions, this study examined individual variability in associations between self-monitoring and weight change and whether demographic factors could predict who may best benefit from self-monitoring.

Methods

Participants were 72 adults with overweight or obesity (mean ± SD, age = 50.6 ± 10.3; body mass index = 31.2 ± 4.5 kg/m2; 71%Female; 83%White) enrolled in a 12-week weight loss program followed by a 40-week observational maintenance period. Participants were encouraged to self-monitor caloric intake and weight daily and to report these data via a study website each week. Multilevel mixed models were used to estimate week-to-week associations between self-monitoring and weight change, by individual and linear regressions and ANOVAs were used to explore demographic differences in these associations.

Results

Most participants (68%) demonstrated statistically significant negative associations between self-monitoring of either caloric intake or weight and weight change. Of these, 76% benefited from self-monitoring both caloric intake and weight, 18% from self-monitoring caloric intake only, and 6% from self-weighing only. The magnitude of associations between self-monitoring and weight change did not significantly differ by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, or income, all ps > 0.05.

Conclusions

Differences in the effectiveness of self-monitoring for weight loss were not observed by demographic characteristics. Future research should examine if other factors may predict the effectiveness of self-monitoring.

Examination of a partial dietary self-monitoring approach for behavioral weight management

INTRODUCTION

Dietary self-monitoring in behavioral weight loss programmes traditionally involves keeping track of all foods and beverages to achieve a calorie deficit. While effective, adherence declines over time. WW™ (formerly Weight Watchers), a widely available commercial weight management programme, sought to pilot an approach that permitted participants to consume over 200 foods without monitoring them.

METHODS

The current study used a pre-post evaluation design with anthropometric, psychosocial and physical health assessments at baseline, 3 and 6 months.

RESULTS

Participants (N = 152) were, on average, 48.4 (±12.3) years old, with body mass index (BMI) of 32.8 (±4.8) m/kg2 and 94% female. Mean weight loss was 6.97 + 5.55 kg or 7.9 ± 6.1% of initial body weight (ps < .0001) at 6 months. One third (32.6%) of the sample lost 10% or more of initial body weight. Significant improvements in hunger, cravings, happiness, sleep, quality of life, aerobic stamina, flexibility and blood pressure were observed. Attendance at group meetings, as well as decreases in hunger, and fast food cravings from baseline to 3 months were associated with achieving 10% weight loss at 6 months (p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Using an approach that does not require self-monitoring of all foods and beverages produced significant weight losses and other physical and psychosocial improvements.

Sustaining eHealth engagement in a multi-year weight gain prevention intervention

INTRODUCTION

Digital tools are widely used and effective in weight management interventions; however, usage declines over time. Strategies to promote continued engagement should be explored. We examined the effects of offering additional modes of weight reporting as well as periodic online campaigns to promote engagement, assessed by frequency of weight reporting, in a weight gain prevention study for young adults.

METHODS

Using an observational design, self-reported weights obtained through digital tools were pooled across participants assigned to two interventions (n = 312). Analysis examined the effects before during and after introduction of an additional reporting modality (email) and for three time-limited refresher campaigns over 2 years.

RESULTS

Adding a new modality to the three existing modes (SMS, web, and mobile web) increased weight reporting as well as the number of modalities participants used to report weights. The use of several modes of reporting was associated with more weights submitted (p < 0.01). Refresher campaigns did not increase the proportion of participants reporting; however, the number of weights submitted during the 4-week campaigns increased compared with the 4 weeks before the campaign (p's ≥ 0.45, <0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Using multiple digital modalities and periodic campaigns shows promise for sustaining engagement with weight reporting in a young adult population, and incorporating such strategies may mitigate typical declines in eHealth and mHealth interventions.

Brain activations during conscious self-monitoring of speech production with delayed auditory feedback: an fMRI study

When a speaker's voice returns to one's own ears with a 200-ms delay, the delay causes the speaker to speak less fluently. This phenomenon is called a delayed auditory feedback (DAF) effect. To investigate neural mechanisms of speech processing through the DAF effect, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment, in which we designed a paradigm to explore the conscious overt-speech processing and the automatic overt-speech processing separately, while reducing articulatory motion artifacts. The subjects were instructed to (1) read aloud visually presented sentences under real-time auditory feedback (NORMAL), (2) read aloud rapidly under real-time auditory feedback (FAST), (3) read aloud slowly under real-time auditory feedback (SLOW), and (4) read aloud under DAF (DELAY). In the contrasts of DELAY-NORMAL, DELAY-FAST, and DELAY-SLOW, the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG), the supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) showed significant activation. Moreover, we found that the STG activation was correlated with the degree of DAF effect for all subjects. Because the temporo-parietal regions did not show significant activation in the comparisons among NORMAL, FAST, and SLOW conditions, we can exclude the possibility that its activation is due to speech rates or enhanced attention to altered speech sounds. These results suggest that the temporo-parietal regions function as a conscious self-monitoring system to support an automatic speech production system.