Background

Online weight-management support communities provide encouragement, motivation, accountability, and an outlet for sharing experiences and accomplishments. However, it is unclear whether participation in these communities is associated with greater weight loss.ObjectiveTo examine if participation in an online support community was associated with weight loss in a corporate online weight loss program.

Methods

Participants (N=226,909, mean age 46, 75% women, 72% Non-Hispanic White, 63% with obesity, 30% with overweight) were from employers and health plans in the US. We examined maximum weight loss by community platform participation (posting, commenting, liking, or reading content). Regression models included age and gender as covariates.

Results

20% of participants engaged in the community platform. Engaged participants lost significantly more weight than those who did not. Compared to non-participating individuals (weight loss 1.6%), those who commented, posted, liked, or read posts achieved 5.3%, 5.1%, 5.0% and 3.9% weight loss respectively (p<0.001). While community platform users also attended more online educational classes (15 vs. 8 sessions), weight loss differences persisted between community platform users versus non-users who attended three classes or more: (4.6% vs. 3.0% weight loss respectively, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Community platform participation was associated with greater weight loss. Even those who just read content or 'lurked' in the community had 60% greater weight loss than those who did not engage. However, reverse-causality bias may be present as those who are more successful losing weight may be more inclined to participate in the online community.