Beyond the scale: exploring the role of social media engagement in enhancing adherence within a workplace weight management program

Submission ID: 47 The escalating global prevalence of obesity among working professionals presents a substantial public health and economic burden, marked by reduced workplace productivity and an increased risk of chronic diseases. (1) While workplace wellness programs serve as essential avenues for intervention, their long-term success depends heavily on sustained participant adherence. In this context, social media offers a powerful yet underutilized tool to enhance adherence by providing continuous peer support, real-time professional guidance, and motivational accountability. (2) Despite this potential, the specific impact of integrating structured digital engagement with weight management programs on both objective health outcomes and adherence-related behaviours remains insufficiently explored in occupational health research. (3) This study aimed to address the role of structured social media engagement (WhatsApp) in influencing both health outcomes and behavioural adherence within a targeted workplace weight management intervention tailored specifically for office workers living with obesity. The intervention, named the Trim and Triumph (TNT) Challenge, was a 12-week, comprehensive wellness program. A total of 40 overweight and obese office workers were enrolled (average age: 35±5.49 years; average BMI: 32.80±5.75 kg/m 2 ). The TNT Challenge included 36 high-intensity group workout sessions and, importantly, a robust social media engagement component. This digital platform served as the backbone for daily nutritional guidance, food intake tracking, dietary competitions, and real-time feedback from a certified nutritionist. The blended approach involved physical training enhanced by constant digital interaction was designed to create a supportive and accountable environment to facilitate long-term behavioural change. Pre- and post-intervention data, comprising anthropometric measurements, metabolic markers, and assessments of health-related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) scores, were analyzed using IBM SPSS software, version 28 with paired-sample t-tests to compare mean differences between pre- and post-intervention outcomes. Demonstrated both statistically and clinically significant improvements across multiple health indicators. Participants experienced an average weight loss of −5.62±2.45 kg and a BMI reduction of −2.21±0.99 kg/m 2 (p<0.05). Body composition improved notably, with decreases in fat mass (−3.91±2.19 kg) and body fat percentage (−2.11±2.12%). Additionally, there were marked improvements in metabolic health, including reductions in total cholesterol (−0.41±0.79 mmol/L) and LDL levels (−0.28±0.75 mmol/L) (p<0.05). Behavioural changes were equally significant: health knowledge scores increased from 66.62±10.15 to 82.50±11.32, attitude scores rose from 72.50±8.61 to 79.13±6.51, and practice scores improved from 67.18±9.58 to 79.64±8.63 (all p<0.001). Improvements included better dietary habits and increased exercise adherence. No significant changes were observed in fasting glucose, hs-CRP, triglycerides, or leptin. In conclusion, the TNT Challenge effectively combined structured lifestyle intervention with interactive social media engagement, yielding significant improvements in physical health, metabolic risk factors, and health behaviours. This study underscores the potential of digital strategies to enhance adherence and maximize the long-term success of workplace wellness programs. By leveraging the continuous support and accountability inherent in social media platforms, organisations can create a more effective intervention model.