Who can join WeLNES?
- Individuals who are over 18, who live in the U.S., who are overweight or obese, who can read English, have regular access to their own phone and email, and have a Bluetooth-enabled device like a smartphone or tablet, and a data plan or Wi-Fi connection in their homes.
- Who are willing to get on a scale, track calories, and track physical activity
- And who want to start a weight loss program in the next 30 days!
What do I have to do?
- Fill out a short (5 to 10 minutes) survey online to find out if you are eligible to join WeLNES.
- If you are eligible, fill out another online survey (20 to 30 minutes). You'll have 1 week to do it.
- Complete one screening call to confirm your participation.
- Next, you'll be randomly assigned (like tossing a coin) to 1 of 2 groups. Both groups will have a weight loss program to support and help you.
- Fill out 3 more surveys (15 to 20 minutes each) after 6, 12, and 24 months. You can fill them out online or by phone.
- You will get $20 for completing each of the three surveys and successfully transmitting your weight from the scale we send you when you do your surveys.
- You'll get a $20 bonus if you fill out the survey and step on the scale within 72 hours of when the survey is emailed to you (so you would get $40 total for each survey and weighing).
Confidentiality
Keeping your information private is important us. Your survey information will be entered on this secure website and kept confidential by WeLNES staff. More on confidentiality...
WeLNES FAQ
- Who is the Principal Investigator of the study?
- When will the study results be published?
- How long will participation in the study take?
- Do I get anything for doing this?
- What is the difference between the 2 programs in the study?
- On the survey, why do you ask about race and ethnicity separately?
- What information is being tracked when I sign up for the study?
- Who can I contact if I have any further questions about the study?
Jonathan Bricker, PhD, is the Principal Investigator for the WeLNES study. Dr. Bricker is a scientist who specializes in healthy behavior change research. He is a Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed scientific articles.
Generally it takes a year or two after a study is finished before results are published.
You will be asked to complete 25 coaching calls with your personal weight loss coach over the first 12 months. The calls will be once every week for the first 16 weeks (4 months, for calls #1-16), then once every other week for the next 14 weeks (3 months, calls #17-23), then once a month for the next 2 months (calls #24-25). The calls are about 15 to 30 minutes each.
And in addition, you’ll get 9 check-in calls (monthly for the first 6 months, every other month for the next 6 months) to support you through the second year.
We’ll provide you with a scale and a physical activity tracker. You’ll be stepping on the scale once a week and when you do the 3 surveys so we can track your progress together. The scale requires a Bluetooth connection. You’ll be tracking the calories of everything you eat and drink in an app each day. Using the app requires a data plan or Wi-Fi in your home. You’ll be wearing the physical activity tracker each day to track your steps.
You will also be asked to complete 3 surveys online or by phone and step on the scale after 6, 12, and 24 months. The surveys should take about 15-20 minutes.
Yes, you will get access to a free weight loss program, free Fitbit Inspire activity tracker, and free Fitbit Aria Air Bluetooth scale during the study and up to $120 if the three surveys and weighings are completed in 72 hours.
Both programs (you’ll be assigned to one) aim to help you learn how to lose weight, manage nutrition, and increase exercise, but the type of information taught is different between the programs.
Everyone in the study, no matter which program you are assigned to, will get guidance on losing weight, nutrition, and exercise. Everyone in the study will get a free Fitbit Inspire and Aria Air scale.
This is a requirement from the National Institutes of Health. They consider Hispanic/Latino as an ethnicity, not a race. So, we are required to ask about race and ethnicity separately.
We use tracking tools to inform us of how well we are doing attracting potential participants so that we can adjust our ads as necessary. No personal information is collected from using this tool.
For study participants, we also collect information on your experiences with weight loss, food, and exercise, including answers you tell us on your surveys and Fitbit data from the food you log and the Aria Air scale and Inspire activity tracker we provide.
Please email welnes@fredhutch.org if you have any questions about the study.
