Counselor efficiency at providing feedback in a technology-based behavioral weight loss intervention: Longitudinal analysis

Abstract

Background: Feedback for participants' self-monitoring is a crucial and costly component of technology-based weight loss interventions. Detailed examination of interventionist time when reviewing and providing feedback for online self-monitoring data is lacking. Objective: The aim of this study was to longitudinally examine the time counselors spent providing feedback on participant self-monitoring data (ie, diet, physical activity, weight) in a 12-month technology-based weight loss intervention. We hypothesized that counselors would compose feedback for participants more quickly over time. Methods: The time the lay counselors (N=10) spent reviewing self-monitoring records and providing feedback to participants via email was longitudinally examined for all counselors across the three years of study implementation. Descriptives were observed for counselor feedback duration across counselors by 12 annual quarters (ie, 3-month periods). Differences in overall duration times by each consecutive annual quarter were analyzed using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests. Results: There was a decrease in counselor feedback duration from the first to second quarter (mean 53 to 46 minutes; P