The Impact of Smartphone-Based Application-FatSecret, Using Podcast on Weight Loss

Abstract

Obesity can be a chronic health concern. At the project site there was no guideline for the management of obesity, so an evidence based solution was sought. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine if or to what degree the implementation of Turner-McGrievy et al.’s smartphone-based application FatSecret combined with a podcast based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) PreventT2 Program would impact weight loss when compared to current practice among adult patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2 in a primary care clinic in central Florida over four weeks. Dorothea Orem’s selfcare deficit nursing theory and Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory provided the project’s theoretical underpinnings. A total of N = 15 patients were included in the project. Data on patients’ weight were extracted from the electronic health record and compared using a paired-samples t-test. The results showed a statistical and clinical significance from baseline (M = 195.93, SD = 28.19) to post-implementation (M = 190.73, SD = 27.55), t (14) = 6.68, p = .001. The mean reduction in weight was 5.16 pounds, which supported the clinical significance of the project. Based on the results, the implementation of Turner-McGrievy et al.’s smartphone-based application FatSecret combined with a podcast based on the CDC’s PreventT2 Program, was an effective method of encouraging weight loss. Recommendations are to continue the project at the site and to disseminate the results.