Text Messaging for Weight Loss

November 9, 2015 updated by: Kevin Hwang, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Text Messaging for Weight Loss in Primary Care Patients

Overweight and obese adults recruited from the primary care setting (n=150) will be enrolled in a 6-month randomized trial of the INTERVENTION versus CONTROL. Both groups will receive usual medical care, printed materials, and educational text messages. The INTERVENTION group will also receive personalized coaching and feedback, as well as peer support, via text message.

The investigators hypothesize that compared to those in the Control group, patients in the Intervention group will lose more weight and demonstrate more favorable changes in fruit and vegetable intake, exercise, and social support for weight loss.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
91

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • UT Physicians - Internal Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Approved to participate by PCP (Patients with diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia will be eligible if approved by their PCP)
  • Age ≥ 21 years
  • Body mass index (BMI) 25 to 45 kg/m2 and weight ≤ 400 pounds
  • Goal of losing weight (not just maintain weight)
  • Willing to change diet, physical activity in order to lose weight.
  • Currently uses text messaging in English on mobile phone
  • Willing to use send and receive text messages for this study without direct compensation for cost of messages (general compensation for study participation will be provided)
  • Have a scale at home for self-monitoring weight
  • Fluent in English (speak, read, write)
  • Commit to return for follow-up weight at 6 months regardless of amount of weight lost

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Involuntary or voluntary weight loss of ≥ 5% body weight in previous 6 months
  • Participating in research project involving weight loss, exercise, or dietary modification in the previous 6 months

  • Any of the following medical conditions which could affect weight or for which weight loss is contraindicated

    • End-stage liver disease
    • End-stage kidney disease
    • Cancer within previous 2 years (except non-melanoma skin cancer)
  • Myocardial infarction, stroke, or transient ischemic attack within previous 6 months
  • Unstable angina
  • Severe arthritis or other medical conditions which would prevent brisk walking
  • Schizophrenia
  • Hospitalization for psychiatric problems during the prior 12 months.

  • Current use or anticipated future use (during 6 month study) of medications that could cause weight loss:

    • phentermine
    • orlistat (prescription Xenical or OTC Alli)
    • topiramate
    • buprioprion
    • exenatide (Byetta)
    • liraglutide (Victoza)
  • Prior bariatric surgery or plans for bariatric surgery in next 6 months
  • Pregnant or breast feeding within the previous 6 months
  • Planning to become pregnant in next 6 months
  • Consumes > 14 alcoholic drinks per week
  • Current use of illicit drugs
  • Planning to move out of the area in the next 6 months
  • Another member of household or a close contact is participating in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Personal feedback

This arm will receive all intervention components of Active Comparator group, plus the following:

  1. Text messages to prompt participant to reply with self-monitoring entries
  2. Human coach uses system to send personalized text messages with feedback on self-monitoring entries
Behavioral: Personal feedback
Active Comparator: One Way Text

  1. Printed handouts from the "Aim for a Healthy Weight" booklet, which is published by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and is frequently included in control conditions in primary care-based weight loss studies.

    Other handouts will discuss the use of prepackaged foods as well as setting goals for calorie intake, physical activity, and weight loss.

  2. One to three text messages per week, based on topics from "Aim for a Healthy Weight" and other sources. The text messages will be pre-scheduled, automated, non-tailored, and "one-way" (no reply will be requested). The total dose of contact will be low because each text message is limited to 160 characters. The condition is comparable in intensity to control conditions in other weight loss trials in the primary care setting.
  3. Usual medical care from the PCP.
  4. Education on symptoms of hypoglycemia, hypotension, and cardiovascular disease, with instructions to contact their PCP in the event of those symptoms.
Behavioral: one way text

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in weight from baseline
Time Frame: baseline and 6 months
Weight in a lightweight hospital gown with no shoes (calibrated digital scale)
baseline and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in diet measured by Fruit and Vegetable Screener (NCI)
Time Frame: baseline and 6 months
baseline and 6 months
Change in physical activity as measured by Paffenbarger physical activity questionnaire
Time Frame: baseline and 6 months
baseline and 6 months
Change in social support as measured by Weight Management Support Inventory
Time Frame: baseline and 6 months
A validated questionnaire with 4 domains of social support for weight control (emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal)
baseline and 6 months
Change in executive function as measured by Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version (BRIEF-A)
Time Frame: baseline and 6 months
Measures the individual's self-rated executive functioning.
baseline and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Kevin O. Hwang, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 7, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 21, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 29, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 10, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 9, 2015

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • HSC-MS-12-0571

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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