Background: Dietitians play an important role in weight management. Self-monitoring of food intake is an effective tool for weight management. As smartphones gain popularity, many individuals are using smartphone apps for diet tracking to lose weight.
Objective: To determine the dietitians’ perception on whether their involvement with the use of smartphone weight loss apps results in increased patient/client adherence and increased weight loss.
Methods: An online survey was completed by 2,532 weight management dietitians. Paired t-tests were used to determine dietitians’ perceptions on patient/client adherence and weight loss using smartphone apps with dietitian intervention compared to without dietitian intervention (p<.05).
Results/Conclusion: Eighty-three percent of weight management dietitians recommended smartphone weight loss apps. Dietitians’ perceive adherence with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000). Dietitians also perceive weight loss with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000).
","abstract_html":"<p>Background: Dietitians play an important role in weight management. Self-monitoring of food intake is an effective tool for weight management. As smartphones gain popularity, many individuals are using smartphone apps for diet tracking to lose weight.</p> <p>Objective: To determine the dietitians’ perception on whether their involvement with the use of smartphone weight loss apps results in increased patient/client adherence and increased weight loss.</p> <p>Methods: An online survey was completed by 2,532 weight management dietitians. Paired t-tests were used to determine dietitians’ perceptions on patient/client adherence and weight loss using smartphone apps with dietitian intervention compared to without dietitian intervention (p<.05).</p> <p>Results/Conclusion: Eighty-three percent of weight management dietitians recommended smartphone weight loss apps. Dietitians’ perceive adherence with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000). Dietitians also perceive weight loss with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000).</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Abernathy, Kathleen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Health Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Rubina S. Haque, Ph.D., R.D., Chair","Anahita Mistry, Ph.D.","Colleen DeBoer, M.S., R.D., L.D.N."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z","subjects":["Adherence","Dietitians","Perception","Smartphone Apps","Weight Loss","Health and Physical Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/732","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Rubina S. Haque, Ph.D., R.D., Chair","Anahita Mistry, Ph.D.","Colleen DeBoer, M.S., R.D., L.D.N."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Abernathy, Kathleen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-08-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Health Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Adherence","Dietitians","Perception","Smartphone Apps","Weight Loss","Health and Physical Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/732"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background: Dietitians play an important role in weight management. Self-monitoring of food intake is an effective tool for weight management. As smartphones gain popularity, many individuals are using smartphone apps for diet tracking to lose weight.
Objective: To determine the dietitians’ perception on whether their involvement with the use of smartphone weight loss apps results in increased patient/client adherence and increased weight loss.
Methods: An online survey was completed by 2,532 weight management dietitians. Paired t-tests were used to determine dietitians’ perceptions on patient/client adherence and weight loss using smartphone apps with dietitian intervention compared to without dietitian intervention (p<.05).
Results/Conclusion: Eighty-three percent of weight management dietitians recommended smartphone weight loss apps. Dietitians’ perceive adherence with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000). Dietitians also perceive weight loss with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000).
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Patient adherence to smartphone weight loss applications: A dietitian perception study"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Rubina S. Haque, Ph.D., R.D., Chair","Anahita Mistry, Ph.D.","Colleen DeBoer, M.S., R.D., L.D.N."],"dc:creator":["Abernathy, Kathleen"],"dc:date.available":["2017-08-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background: Dietitians play an important role in weight management. Self-monitoring of food intake is an effective tool for weight management. As smartphones gain popularity, many individuals are using smartphone apps for diet tracking to lose weight.
Objective: To determine the dietitians’ perception on whether their involvement with the use of smartphone weight loss apps results in increased patient/client adherence and increased weight loss.
Methods: An online survey was completed by 2,532 weight management dietitians. Paired t-tests were used to determine dietitians’ perceptions on patient/client adherence and weight loss using smartphone apps with dietitian intervention compared to without dietitian intervention (p<.05).
Results/Conclusion: Eighty-three percent of weight management dietitians recommended smartphone weight loss apps. Dietitians’ perceive adherence with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000). Dietitians also perceive weight loss with smartphone apps to be significantly greater with dietitian feedback than without dietitian feedback (p=.000).
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/732"],"dc:subject":["Adherence","Dietitians","Perception","Smartphone Apps","Weight Loss","Health and Physical Education"],"dc:title":["Patient adherence to smartphone weight loss applications: A dietitian perception study"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Health Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z"}