A pilot study on traditional vs. digital self-administered questionnaire completion in the International Weight Control Registry

IF 2.9 Q3 NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Clinical nutrition ESPEN Pub Date : 2025-03-13 DOI:10.1016/j.clnesp.2025.03.015

Dimitrios Poulimeneas , Costas A. Anastasiou , Evgenia-Eleni Vlachogianni , Amalia Charokopou , Myrto Bitsa , Sai Krupa Das , Drew Sayer , Susan B. Roberts , James O. Hill , Mary Yannakoulia

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background & aim

Scarce reports on the characteristics of individuals choosing to enroll in obesity-related registries via digital or traditional methods exist. We examined whether characteristics of participants who enrolled in the International Weight Control Registry (IWCR) via digital surveys differed from those who enrolled with paper surveys.

Methods

This manuscript describes the pilot phase of IWCR recruitment of eligible participants from one collaborating country. The IWCR includes questionnaires capturing biological, behavioral, environmental and psychosocial domains of weight management. All adult individuals with an intentional weight loss history, regardless of it being successful or not, are eligible to participate. Two invitations for participation were sent out. Firstly, potential participants were invited to complete the survey digitally; then, in the second invitation, potential volunteers were invited to complete the survey on paper.

Results

A total of 69 persons with weight loss experiences completed this pilot survey (40 on-paper, 29 digitally). No differences were detected in the sex distribution and the level of education between groups (all p > 0.05). Fewer participants in the on-paper group reported to have experienced significant weight loss in their adult life (70.0 vs 100 %, p = 0.001). Maximum Body Mass Index (BMI) and initial weight loss (%) were similar in both groups, however the digital group reported significantly greater weight loss maintenance (86.5 vs 43.8 % of the initial weight loss, p = 0.008). More persons in the digital group reported to have achieved their current weight by linear weight loss (rapid or not) vs. through a series of weight loss cycles (p = 0.008).

Conclusion

The different modes of engagement (digital vs. paper) may target different people. Traditional means of questionnaire completion were more appealing in individuals with less successful weight loss efforts. These preliminary results suggest that offering both online and paper versions of registry questionnaires may support data collection in a broader population demographic.

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国际体重控制注册中心传统与数字自我管理问卷填写的试点研究。

背景与目的：关于选择通过数字或传统方法注册肥胖相关登记处的个体特征的报道很少。我们研究了通过数字调查登记在国际体重控制登记处（IWCR）的参与者的特征是否与通过纸质调查登记的参与者不同。方法：本文描述了IWCR从一个合作国家招募合格参与者的试点阶段。IWCR包括调查问卷，涵盖体重管理的生物学、行为学、环境和社会心理领域。所有有意减肥的成年人，无论成功与否，都有资格参加。发出了两份参加邀请。首先，邀请潜在的参与者以数字方式完成调查；然后，在第二次邀请中，潜在的志愿者被邀请在纸上完成调查。结果：共有69位有减肥经历的人完成了本次试点调查（40位为纸质调查，29位为数字调查）。各组间性别分布和受教育程度无差异（p < 0.05）。在纸面组中，较少的参与者报告说他们在成年后经历了显著的体重减轻（70.0 vs 100%, p=0.001）。两组的最大体重指数（BMI）和初始减重率（%）相似，但数字组报告的减重维持率明显更高（86.5% vs 43.8%的初始减重，p=0.008）。数字组中有更多的人报告通过线性减肥（快速或不快速）而不是通过一系列减肥周期（p=0.008）达到了目前的体重。结论：不同的参与模式（数字与纸质）可能针对不同的人群。传统的问卷完成方式对减肥不太成功的人更有吸引力。这些初步结果表明，提供在线和纸质版本的登记问卷可能有助于在更广泛的人口统计中收集数据。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Clinical nutrition ESPEN NUTRITION & DIETETICS-

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

3.30%

发文量

512

期刊介绍： Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is an electronic-only journal and is an official publication of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). Nutrition and nutritional care have gained wide clinical and scientific interest during the past decades. The increasing knowledge of metabolic disturbances and nutritional assessment in chronic and acute diseases has stimulated rapid advances in design, development and clinical application of nutritional support. The aims of ESPEN are to encourage the rapid diffusion of knowledge and its application in the field of clinical nutrition and metabolism. Published bimonthly, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN focuses on publishing articles on the relationship between nutrition and disease in the setting of basic science and clinical practice. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN is available to all members of ESPEN and to all subscribers of Clinical Nutrition.