All You Need Is Love: Treato Finds Most Successful Online Weight Loss Communities Value Community Support Over Strict Adherence
Healthcare Insights Company Identifies Top Online Weight Loss Communities For Those Looking To Stick With Their New Year's Resolution
NEW YORK, Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With January over and New Year's resolutions dropping like flies, leading consumer healthcare website Treato has announced its first annual list of the top online weight-loss communities to help consumers stick to their weight-loss goals. This list is part of a new series of online health community rankings from the company.
With 45 million Americans going on a diet each year, according to the Boston Medical Center, weight-loss programs are in high demand. Through an in-depth data analysis, Treato found that consumers value a weight-loss community that emphasizes emotional support over those with strict weight-loss philosophies. Only two of the top communities, My Fitness Pal and Low Carb Friends, have strict weight-loss philosophies. The remaining top communities emphasize emotional support. Weight Watchers is the community with the strongest personal connections and emotional support among its members. Jenny Craig and 3 Fat Chicks are also supportive communities that believe in various approaches to weight-loss. Low Carb Friends and 3 Fat Chicks were among the smallest, most tight-knit communities.
Top Treato Online Weight-Loss Communities:
| Community |
Weight Loss Approach |
Strength |
Weakness |
Good If You're Looking For |
| very strong weight-loss philosophy that focuses on a "calories in, calories out" (CICO) approach |
this community has more discussions, authors and threads than any other community |
this community is less tight-knit and personal than all the other weight-loss communities, probably due to its high volume of users |
a community that simplifies weight loss into basic math, easy to use and does not require a lot of interaction with other community members |
|
| The Beyond the Scale program, a personalized approach to healthier living, including the SmartPoints plan, making healthy eating simple by translating complex nutritional information into one simple number |
most personal and emotional community out of all the weight-loss communities |
conversations easily go off-topic |
a highly inclusive personal community that allows you to form long-lasting relationships with other members |
|
| their personalized program that includes health coaches and pre-planned meals |
smaller tight-knit group than Weight Watchers |
members were most open to criticizing the program, particularly their personal coaches |
a smaller personalized community and want to discuss weight-loss strategies beyond the Jenny Craig plan |
|
| jack-of-all-trades approach to weight-loss |
members largely focus on keeping each other motivated |
each weight-loss thread has a limited amount of member engagement |
a community that doesn't require constant participation to be a member |
|
| similar to SparkPeople in that it takes a jack-of-all-trades approach to weight-loss |
members encourage each other through weigh-ins |
limited engagement among members |
a community you can participate in through weekly check-ins and challenges |
Treato Honorable Mentions Online Weight-Loss Communities:
| Community |
Weight Loss Approach |
Strength: |
Weakness: |
Good If You're Looking For: |
| functions largely as a support group and has no dominant weight-loss philosophy |
a highly supportive community in which members are frequently seen congratulating each other and reminding each other that the weight-loss process is slow |
there isn't a specific program to follow |
a community that is smaller and provides lots of support |
|
| a low-carb diet |
members are sharing what they are eating and providing weigh-ins with each other everyday |
strict about their weight-loss philosophy |
connect with other members who are interested in following a strict weight-loss program |
|
| no dominant weight-loss philosophy |
largely mother-focused community |
isn't very accessible for newcomers as members use lots of pre-existing acronyms; also largely UK-focused |
a community to vent with other mothers about the frustrations of weight loss |
|
| Similar to MumsNet, there's no dominant weight-loss philosophy |
largely mother-focused community |
conversations lack inspirational component found in many other communities; also largely UK-focused |
a community to connect with other new moms about the frustrations of losing baby weight |
"We want to help consumers navigate the complex web of online weight -loss communities," says Ido Hadari, CEO of Treato. " By assessing the characteristics of each community we hope to assist those looking to lose weight by identifying the best choice for them based on their personal goals and personality."
Find out more about Treato's weight-loss community ranking.
Methodology:
TreatoVoice is a unique data asset that continuously collects and analyzes more than two and a half billion patient and caregiver conversations happening across the Internet in real-time to understand what patients are saying about their experiences with their conditions and treatments. Within TreatoVoice, we have the ability to rank healthcare communities.
To determine the ranking of the top online weight-loss communities, Treato collected and analyzed posts from more than 3,000 communities.
About Treato:
Treato™, the leading source of health insights from millions of real health consumers, uses patented analytics and big data technology to turn billions of disparate online conversations into meaningful social intelligence. With more than two billion posts analyzed and continuously expanding, Treato has partnered with 9 out of the world's top 10 pharma companies as well as numerous other multi-national pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations. Treato.com, its consumer website, helps millions of visitors each month.
Treato is privately held with offices in Israel, New York and Princeton, NJ. Investors include Reed Elsevier Ventures, OrbiMed Partners and New Leaf Venture Partners, among others. For more information please visit https://treato.com/
Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330845-INFO
SOURCE Treato
Share this article