Text2bHealthy: Using Innovative Methods in Childhood Obesity Treatment

May 8, 2015 updated by: University of British Columbia

Text2bHealthy: Enhancing Adherence to Childhood Obesity Treatment Through the Use of Innovative Methods

In Canada, the number of obese children and adolescents has increased tremendously. Interventions addressing diet and physical activity have been successful in the short-term. However, a great number of individuals have difficulties maintaining achieved weight loss and returning to treatment sessions.

New technology interventions, through the web or delivered trough Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) (e.g. iPhone or Blackberry), are increasingly being used in health interventions. PDAs have emerged as appealing in health interventions as they are easily accessible and their interactivity makes them well suited to promote long-term engagement in behaviour change interventions.

This study will look at the utility of supplementing a family-based lifestyle program for overweight and obese adolescents (Shapedown BC) with a PDA intervention (Text2bHealthy) focussing mainly on physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and dietary intake to maintain treatment success by improving self-management skills. Adolescents and will receive Text2bHealthy for 3-months after 3 months participation in the Shapedown BC program.

Results from this study will provide needed information on how to improve treatment adherence and maintenance outcomes through the use of innovative methods and will ultimately contribute to the improvement of long-term outcomes in obesity treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

Around the world, the amount of people who are overweight is increasing. This has become a public health crisis. Obesity, especially in children, is a problem because it is associated with risk for health problems and psychological issues. These problems include heart disease and poor quality of life and can happen both in childhood and later life.

Programs that help people change their lifestyle and behaviour are effective to help people lose weight and improve their mental health. In children, the main issue for treating obesity is to help the child keep weight off and to prevent a return to unhealthy behaviours. This means that long-term support is needed. But the health care system is not set up to do this because of a limited amount of resources. The aim of this study is to see if there are better long-term results if we use a technology tool along with a lifestyle program.

The aim of this study is to examine a personal digital assistant (PDA) program (Text2bHealthy) supplemented to an existing family-based group treatment for overweight and obese children. This treatment is called the British Columbia Centre for Healthy Weights (BCCHW) Shapedown BC program. The aim of this study is to see if Text2bHealthy supplemented to the Shapedown BC program helps children to keep the weight of and improves physical activity as well as fruit, vegetable, and fat intake.

We know from studies that reporting one's own behaviour, goal setting, and tailored feedback are key elements in changing health behaviours. Text2bHealthy includes these key elements. PDAs will be given to 30 10-16 year old children and adolescents after completing the Shapedown BC program. They will be explained how to use the PDA. Children who participate in the Text2bHealthy program will set weekly goals related to their physical activity, eating or sitting behaviours. Also, they will report on their lifestyle behaviours twice a week. They will receive personalized feedback on their progress. The feedback is designed to be supportive and to reinforce their behaviour in a positive way. The control group (N=30) will use a paper dairy to keep track of their lifestyle behaviours. At 0 and 3 months after completing the Shapedown BC program, measurements such as height and weight will be taken. Also, exercise and nutrition behaviour will be measured. Physical activity will be measured with pedometers and a recall and nutrition intake with questionnaires.

Because it is hard to maintain weight loss, we need to provide programs that offer the long-term support of behaviour change. Tools such as PDAs seem to be ideal to offer long-term support. For the purpose of this study, PDAs will be used as a proof of concept; the programming can be incorporated into smart phones in the future. From previous studies we know that reporting one's own behaviour seems to improve weight loss in children. Also, behaviours are more likely to be reported when using mobile phones compared to paper & pencil diaries. I am one of the first to study the effect of innovative technologies by using self-reporting, goal setting, and personalized feedback in childhood obesity treatment. We hope that the results from this study will increase our knowledge on the use and feasibility of digital devices in childhood obesity treatment.

The outcomes of this research will be used to better understand how to improve weight loss maintenance among obese children. Obesity places children at higher risk for heart disease and poor quality of life when they are adults. Thus time and cost-effective long-term support programs need to be developed to improve weight loss maintenance. This new program has the potential to improve maintenance of weight loss and healthy lifestyle in overweight and obese children and adolescents.

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.
2

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

  • Canada
    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6H 0B3
        • The British Columbia Children's Hospital

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

10 years to 16 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Overweight/obese teens
  • Aged 10 to 16 years
  • Completion of the Shapedown BC program
  • Being a resident of the greater metropolitan area of Vancouver
  • Not expected to move within the study time period
  • Ability to read and speak in English at a 6th grade level

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participating in other physical activity or nutrition studies or programs such as the Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig
  • Pregnancy
  • Any co-morbidities which require immediate medical attention
  • Any musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or orthopedic problems or disabilities precluding from being physically active
  • Use of a prescription medication which could interfere with the child's weight
  • Failure to complete the Shapedown BC program
  • Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes

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: Text2bHealthy
The intervention arm receives the Text2bHealthy program on a PDA
Behavioral: Text2bHealthy
The intervention group uses handheld computers to keep track of their lifestyle behaviours and they will receive feedback on thier progress and tips (Text2bHealthy)
No Intervention: Control group
The control group will complete a paper dairy to keep track of their lifestyle behaviours

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
Time Frame
BMI-z scores
Time Frame: 3 months
3 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
Time Frame
Physical activity (physical activity recall, questions and pedometer steps)
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months
Nutrition
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months
Sitting behaviour (recall)
Time Frame: 3 months
3 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.
University of British Columbia

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: Louise Masse, PhD, University of British Columbia

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.
March 1, 2013

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.
August 1, 2014

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.
August 1, 2014

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).
February 18, 2013

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.
February 25, 2013

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.
February 27, 2013

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.
May 12, 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.
May 8, 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.
May 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • H12-03175

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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