Short-term outcomes of the digital combined lifestyle intervention CooL-MiGuide: a descriptive case series study

IntroductionThe objective of this study is to investigate the changes over time in anthropometrics, behaviours and health perceptions after eight months of participation in the Combined Lifestyle Intervention (CLI) CooL-MiGuide, a digital version of the Coaching on Lifestyle (CooL) intervention with the add-on of a digital platform and an app. MethodLongitudinal data were collected between January 2022 and December 2023 from adults, mainly in the South-Western area of the Netherlands, that meet the inclusion criteria for the CLI (i.e. being obese (Body Mass Index (BMI)>30) or being overweight (25<BMI<30) combined with comorbidity; and being sufficiently motivated). We collected a broad set of data at baseline (T0) and after eight months of participation (T1) on anthropometrics (self-reported weight, length, waist circumference), control and support (self-mastery, social support), physical activity (sedentary time on least/most active days, physical active minutes), diet attentiveness (attentiveness to meal composition, amounts of food and consuming), alcohol consumption, smoking, perceived fitness (perceived health, fitness when waking, fitness during daytime, impact daily stress), sleep and stress. Changes over time were analyzed using paired t-tests comparing T1 to baseline. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohens d. ResultsThe results show positive changes after eight months in anthropometrics, sedentary time, diet attentiveness, sleep, stress, fitness, and perceived health of the participants. Largest effect sizes were found for weight (Cohens d=0.62, average weight loss of 3.82kg), perceived health (Cohens d=0.58) and perceived fitness of the participants when waking and during daytime (Cohens d=0.41 and 0.52 respectively). ConclusionCooL-MiGuide participants show relevant changes in the essential constructs perceived health and weight. The digital version of CooL can be a valuable alternative for people who prefer participation from a location of their choice.