Stepped Care for Weight Loss Maintenance

Purpose

This study is a 3-group, parallel design, randomized controlled trial (RCT) in approximately 258 adults with obesity that will investigate whether a 16-week behavioral weight loss treatment and a 52-week stepped-care digital health intervention can improve the maintenance of a ≥ 5% weight loss. 16-week run-in (Phase 1). To qualify for randomization, participants must lose ≥ 5% of initial weight in the 16-week run-in. This loss will be achieved with the provision of weekly-group lifestyle counseling, which includes a partial meal replacement diet. 52-week randomized trial of 3 weight loss maintenance strategies (Phase 2): Participants who have achieved ≥ 5% weight loss during Phase 1 will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: 1. Participants in the Usual Care group will be emailed monthly educational modules with information on maintaining weight loss. 2. Participants in the SELF group will receive a wireless "smart" body weight scale and a wearable physical activity tracker, and daily text messages with tailored feedback to assist in weight loss maintenance. 3. Participants in the STEP group will be enrolled in an intervention that consists of 4 steps that are progressive and based on response to treatment. After 13 weeks at each step, participants who do not maintain a ≥5% weight loss or regain 2 percentage points of weight from the participants randomization value will move to a higher intensity step. Participants who maintain weight loss will stay at the same step.

Condition

  • Obesity

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 70 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • BMI>/=30 kg/m2 or >/=27 kg/m2 with an obesity-related complication - Age 18-70 years - Completion of baseline assessment tasks - Ability to engage in physical activity - Own a smartphone capable of receiving text-messages and syncing to weight scales and physical activity trackers - Home wireless access

Exclusion Criteria

  • Serious medical condition or psychiatric condition that may pose a risk to the participant during intervention, cause a change in weight, or limit ability to adhere to the behavioral recommendations of the program - Pregnant or planning pregnancy in the next 1.5 years - Weight>440 lbs - Planned move out of the area in the next 1.5 years - Recently began a course of or changed the dosage of medication that can cause significant change in weight - History of bariatric surgery - Weight loss of >5% in the previous 6 months - Household member already participating in study

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Usual care
Usual care
  • Behavioral: Usual care
    Participants in usual care will be emailed monthly educational modules with information on maintaining weight loss.
Experimental
Text-message intervention with digital tools (SELF)
Text-message intervention
  • Behavioral: SELF
    The SELF group will receive a wireless "smart" body weight scale and wearable physical activity tracker, and text messages.
Experimental
Stepped Care (STEP)
Stepped care
  • Behavioral: STEP
    The STEP intervention consists of 4 steps that are progressive and based on response to treatment. Step 1: Digital health intervention. The first step will be the digital health intervention as described under SELF. Step 2: Monthly, in-person counseling. Participants who move to Step 2 will be provided with monthly, in-person counseling. Step 3: Twice per month counseling. Step 3 will be twice-monthly counseling, spaced at every other week. Step 4: Meal replacements. Participants will be prescribed a partial meal replacement program.

Recruiting Locations

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Contact:
Camille Siberine
667-306-9366
cwilke11@jh.edu

More Details

NCT ID
NCT06151145
Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Johns Hopkins University

Study Contact

Ariana M Chao, PhD, CRNP
4432876223
ariana.chao@jhu.edu