(P26-006-23) Feasibility of Remotely Collecting Intensive Data in Participants of an Online Registry: International Weight Control Registry

Objectives: The International Weight Control Registry (IWCR) is a longitudinal cohort study investigating participant-reported factors related to successful weight management. This ancillary study aimed to remotely collect comprehensive and objective information related to diet and physical activity behaviors in a subset of existing IWCR participants. Here we report IWCR ancillary study participant characteristics, recruitment and retention rates, adherence to study measures, and participation related feedback.

Methods: Existing IWCR participants who completed baseline and 1-year follow-up surveys were invited to participate in this ancillary study. Data were collected remotely on body weight and composition (Garmin Index S2 scale), physical activity (Garmin vívosmart 4 activity tracker), and dietary intake (three 24-hour recalls) over an approximately 2-week study period. Participants also completed surveys related to diet (REAPS), physical activity (IPAQ), and feedback about participation in the ancillary study.

Results: During Aug 2022-Jan 2023, 357 IWCR participants were contacted about the ancillary study and 203 US adults (mean age 53.7±13.5 years [SD], BMI 31.8±8.0 kg/m², 83.7% female) enrolled. The racial/ethnic distribution was 79.3% White, 13.3% Black, 3.9% Asian, and 5.4% Hispanic. These demographic variables are broadly consistent with the overall IWCR study cohort. Over 94% completed all three dietary recalls and 96% completed diet and physical activity questionnaires. Mean days collected were 13.2±3.3 days (84.6±19.4%) for weight, 11.9±3.9 days (76.8±24.4%) for body composition, and 15.4±2.7 days (97.5±8.7%) for step count. On a scale of 0-10 (0=not at all, 10=very), study enjoyment and recommending ancillary study participation were rated as 8.8±1.3 and 9.3±1.4, respectively.

Conclusions: The IWCR ancillary study successfully recruited and retained a diverse cohort of US adults from existing IWCR participants using an online platform with all assessments obtained remotely. The success of this ancillary study provides a framework for conducting additional intensive studies remotely in the future – including intervention studies – using IWCR participants and more broadly from other online registries.

Funding Sources: Gelesis, Inc.