About the program
AGILE is a free (no fees to participate) program created by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill designed to help young adults ages 18-39 who are interested in losing weight by building healthier eating and activity habits. The 6-month program is delivered using a smartphone app and digital health tools. If you are eligible, you have the opportunity to participate in important research to help us understand more about how we can use mobile technologies to help young adults adopt healthy habits.
Am I eligible?
You may be eligible if you:
Are currently age 18-39
Have a body mass index between 25 and 45 (see here to check your BMI)
Are interested in following a program to support you in building healthy eating and activity habits to help you manage your weight
Own a smartphone with data and text messaging plan
Reside in the United States
*Additional eligibility criteria apply.
Recruitment for this study has closed.
What will I do in the program?
The AGILE program is testing a program that uses digital tools to help young adults develop healthier diet and activity habits by making daily lifestyle changes in order to manage their weight. You will use a digital scale to track your weight and an app to track your foods to help you make positive changes in your eating. You will use an activity tracker to help increase your physical activity and will receive daily personalized messages from the study smartphone app that will help you stay on track with your weight goals.
Everyone in the study will receive an evidence-based behavioral weight loss program based that has been adapted for young adults. This program will include weekly lessons and feedback on the study app based on your progress. This is the standard program that all participants will receive.
In addition to the standard program described above, you will also receive a unique combination of program components that we are testing. These include ways to keep track of your diet and physical activity changes, and daily support from the program to help you stay on track with your diet and activity changes.
All participants will be asked to complete online questionnaires and other remote measurements, such as weighing on the provided scale, at the start of the study, after 3 months, and after 6 months.
What are the benefits of participating in the program?
Research shows that young adulthood is a common time for weight gain, and that the weight gained puts you at higher risk for health problems later in life. You may benefit from the program by losing some weight now and learning effective ways to manage your weight so that you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight for years to come.
Throughout the program you may also benefit by receiving:
Professional expertise and information to help you adopt strategies for making changes in your eating and physical activity
Personalized feedback on your progress
This information is provided to you free of charge as a study participant. After completing all the study questionnaires and measurements at each time point, you will receive the following: $50 at the beginning, $25 at 3 months, and $75 at 6 months.
If you are interested in signing up, please go to our online screener below to see if you are eligible to participate.
Contact Us
If you would like to learn more about the study, please contact us at 919-966-5852 or email agilestudy@unc.edu.
This study has been reviewed by the UNC Institutional Review Board (Study #20-0765).
