Weight-Loss Maintenance After Financial Incentives End

To the Editor In a recent trial, Dr Hoddinott and colleagues randomized 585 men with obesity into 3 groups: behavioral focused text messages combined with financial incentives, text messages alone, or wait-listed (control group). They reported that text messaging with financial incentives improved weight loss compared with the control group. The mean difference at the 12-month follow-up was −3.2% (97.5% CI, −4.6% to −1.9%). However, text messaging alone was not more effective than the control condition (mean difference, −1.4%; 97.5% CI, −2.9% to 0.0%). Hoddinott and colleagues concluded that combining text messaging with financial incentives may help to attain weight loss in men with obesity.