ArticleBMJ open2023
Feasibility of a peer-supported, WhatsApp-assisted, lifestyle modification intervention for weight reduction among adults in an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan: a mixed-methods, single-group, pretest-post-test, quasi-experimental study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05928338 (Feasibility of a Peer-Supported, WhatsApp-Assisted, Lifestyle Modification Intervention for Weight Reduction Among Adults in an Urban Slum of Karachi, Pakistan), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Feasibility of a Peer-Supported, WhatsApp-Assisted, Lifestyle Modification Intervention for Weight Reduction Among Adults in an Urban Slum of Karachi, Pakistan: A Mixed-Methods, Single Group, Pretest-Posttest, Quasi-Experimental Study
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- WhatsApp and YouTube as platforms for facilitating lifestyle modifications among individuals with hypertension in a low-income, urban community in Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Evaluation of a Phone-Based Program to Increase Adherence to Antiretrovirals Among PLWH: A Pilot Study.AIDS and behavior · 2025Article
- South Asia's diabetes crisis needs families: how can we advance from informal care to integrated engagement?The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis pilot study assessed whether a peer-supported, WhatsApp-assisted lifestyle modification intervention for weight reduction is feasible to execute a definitive trial.
designA mixed-methods, single group, pretest and post-test, quasi-experimental study.
settingAzam Basti, an urban slum in Karachi, Pakistan.
participantsFifty participants (males and females aged 20-60) with a body mass index of
interventionUsing motivational interviewing techniques, a trained nutritionist delivered the lifestyle modification intervention to the participants and peers for 3 days after the baseline assessment and then once monthly for 1 year. The intervention was delivered in groups using WhatsApp voice calls. The education sessions mainly focused on dietary modifications, physical activity advice and peer-support assignments to achieve a 5% wt loss from the participant's initial body weight. OUTCOMES: The feasibility measures included screening, recruitment, retention and monthly interview response rates. At 1 year, in-depth interviews (IDIs) with participants and peers were conducted to explore the facilitators, barriers, acceptability and experiences of the intervention. Changes in weight, calorie intake/day and calorie expenditure/day were also assessed.
resultsThe recruitment and retention rates were 32% (n=50/156) and 78% (n=39/50), respectively, while the response rate for monthly interviews ranged between 66% (n=33) and 94% (n=47). The mean weight loss at 1 year was 2.2 kg, and the reduction in mean calorie intake was 386 kcal/day. There were no changes in the mean calorie expenditure. During the IDIs, participants and peers reported intervention via WhatsApp and peer support as convenient, flexible and supportive.
conclusionsThe quantitative and qualitative findings of the current pilot study support the scale-up of this work with minor modifications to the screening method as well as close monitoring and motivational interviewing to improve adherence in terms of physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05928338.
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