The Rural Men’s Health Study is a weight loss program that assists men in self-monitoring their eating and activity through the privacy of their smartphone.
The Men’s Health Study is nurse-delivered, and is available to rural men who are:
- 40-65 years of age
- Resident of Cedar, Dixon, Thurston, or Wayne County, Nebraska
- Overweight or obese (BMI 28-50 kg/m2), BMI >51 but less than 396 pounds with clinician clearance
- Smartphone owner with enabled text messaging
- Answer “no” to all questions on a health screening questionnaire or are willing to get clinician approval prior to enrolling
- Willing to share self-monitoring logs of eating, activity, and weight with the investigative team during the duration of the study.
The Men’s Health Study uses many forms of technology to assist rural men in tracking their eating and activity to achieve weight loss. Men will use the commercially available premium weight loss app on their smartphone to assist them in tracking their eating and physical activity. Men will have the opportunity to compare their experiences with other men in the study through an anonymous discussion page on the app. Men will also receive a Smart Scale, which is a digital bathroom scale that synchronizes with one’s smartphone, to assist in tracking of daily weight loss progress. Participants will also receive daily text messaging that offers motivational and informational tips for self-monitoring eating and activity.
Interested men will receive a health screening questionnaire by phone. Men who are enrolled in our study will be randomly selected to one of two groups. Half of the men will have access to the mobile technology intervention described above for 3 months. The other half of the men will receive the commercially available basic weight loss app only to track their eating and activity over the 3 months. All men will receive three in-person assessments to track their health progress over the study at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.
Participants are compensated.
Contact Us:
Christine Eisenhauer PhD, APRN-CNS, CNE
Advanced Practice Nurse, Project Director
P: 402-844-7897
Norfolk, NE
ceisenhauer@unmc.edu
Jessica Miller, RN, BSN
Nurse, Project Recruiter
P: 402-844-7923
Norfolk, NE
jessica.miller@unmc.edu
This study is conducted in collaboration with the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department.
IRB#594-17-EP. Rural Men’s Health study is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health-1R15NR017522-01. Further study information is available on ClinicalTrials.Gov.