Effects of the EatWelLog® Mobile Application for Managing Sarcopenic Obesity Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Recruitment and attendance rates supported feasibility of the intervention.

• Recruitment rate was 48.8%.
• Attendance rate was 83.3%.
• 40 adults aged ≥65 years at risk of sarcopenic obesity were randomized across two arms.
• The study was a two-arm pilot RCT with assessments at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and 3-month (T2) and 6-month (T3) follow-ups.

Four participants in the mHealth group dropped out after the beginning of the intervention.

• All four dropouts occurred in the MH (mHealth-supported) group.
• No dropouts were reported for the Conventional Supervised (CS) group in this context.
• The authors noted that strategies are needed to reduce attrition and improve compliance with recording diets.
• Dropout rate in the MH group represented a notable feasibility concern.

The EatWelLog® app demonstrated moderate-to-high acceptability among participants.

• Focus group participants valued the App's dietary tracking, feedback, and reminders.
• Participants identified limitations in food-recording functions.
• Acceptability was assessed qualitatively through focus groups in addition to quantitative measures.
• Despite moderate-to-high acceptability, compliance with diet recording was identified as an area needing improvement.

No between-group differences or group × time interactions were detected for primary outcomes.

• Between-group differences were not detected for primary outcomes across any assessment time point.
• Group × time interactions were also not statistically significant for primary outcomes.
• The pilot trial was not powered for effectiveness, limiting conclusions about the App's added benefit.
• The authors note that 'the App's added benefit remains uncertain.'

Muscle strength improved from baseline to post-intervention in both groups.

• Both the Conventional Supervised (CS) and mHealth-supported (MH) groups showed muscle strength improvements from T0 to T1.
• No statistically significant between-group differences were detected for muscle strength.
• Improvements were observed in both groups receiving the same core intervention: three individualized dietitian consultations, five group nutrition classes, and eight weekly 60-minute multicomponent exercise sessions.
• The shared intervention components make it difficult to attribute muscle strength gains to the app specifically.

Physical performance showed improvements in the mHealth group across all follow-up assessments.

• The MH group showed physical performance improvements at T1, T2 (3-month follow-up), and T3 (6-month follow-up).
• The MH group used EatWelLog® during the intervention and throughout the 6-month follow-up period.
• No between-group differences in physical performance were statistically detected.
• The sustained improvement across all follow-up time points in the MH group is notable despite the lack of powered statistical comparison.

The intervention was an 8-week program combining dietitian consultations, nutrition classes, and multicomponent exercise sessions.

• Both groups received three individualized dietitian consultations, five group nutrition classes, and eight weekly 60-minute multicomponent exercise sessions.
• The MH group additionally used the EatWelLog® app during the intervention and the 6-month follow-up.
• The intervention targeted community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years at risk of sarcopenic obesity.
• Exercise combined with a hypocaloric high-protein diet is the recommended approach for sarcopenic obesity, which informed the intervention design.

The authors concluded that a larger, adequately powered RCT is warranted to determine the App's effectiveness.

• The pilot was explicitly 'not powered for effectiveness,' limiting conclusions.
• Strategies are needed to reduce attrition and improve compliance with dietary recording before scaling up.
• The study evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects as its primary aims.
• Findings were described as supportive of proceeding to a larger trial.