Assessing the efficacy of utilizing a smartphone calorie calculator for weight loss, body composition and body shape preoccupation

Objective: Recording calorie intake has been shown to assist in weight loss [1]. Today, smartphone applications enable patients to easily record calorie intake and are readily available. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of utilizing a smartphone calorie calculator for weight loss, body composition metrics and body shape preoccupation when used alone or in conjunction with weekly email outreach to patients, encouraging them to remain compliant with a weight loss program. Methods: In this pilot study, fourteen college-aged women were recruited for the study on a rolling basis. Their weight was recorded, and their body composition was measured with the use of a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA scan). Their body-shape preoccupation was evaluated by the validated body shape questionnaire (BSQ)-16A survey, a self-report measure of body shape preoccupation typical of common eating disorders [2,3]. A daily calorie goal was set for each subject based on their calculated resting metabolic rate. All subjects were instructed to use a smartphone application to record their daily calorie intake. Nine intervention subjects were emailed weekly to self-report on how many days they used the application and their daily calorie intake. They were also offered encouragement to remain compliant with the program. Each intervention subject was re-evaluated after eight weeks. Five control subjects were not contacted weekly and were re-evaluated after eight weeks. Results: Both the intervention group and the control group showed a reduction in weight (6.52 ± 4.78 lbs vs 6.3 ± 1.18 lbs, p = 0.40) fat mass (0.23 ± 2.05 lbs vs 3.43 ± 2.99 lbs, p = 0.07), percent body fat (0.23 ± 1.11 vs 1.26 ± 0.48 lbs, p = 0.07) and visceral fat mass (VFM) (0.01 ± 0.18 vs 0.06 ± 0.22, p = 0.86). The Body Shape Questionnaire 16A (BSQ-16A) also indicated improvement in both groups for body shape preoccupation (6.14 ± 6.07 vs 18.6 ± 8.41, p = 0.19). Thus, use of the application benefitted both groups. Conclusion: The study’s results indicate that use of a smartphone calorie-counting application may have a positive effect on body composition metrics and may lower patients’ preoccupation with body image-with or without an additional intervention. *Correspondence to: Nicholas Maenza, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM), Old Westbury, New York, USA, E-mail: nmaenza@nyit.edu