Energy Balancing Modeling and Mobile Technology to Support e-Weight Loss

August 2, 2016 updated by: John Graham Thomas, The Miriam Hospital
Behavioral lifestyle treatment for obesity produces clinically significant weight loss and corresponding improvements in disease risk and severity when delivered via in-person group and/or individual treatment sessions. Online versions have been developed in order to reduce costs. These programs typically include weekly weight loss lessons and tailored feedback on patients' weight loss progress. However, online programs often produce suboptimal outcomes compared to programs delivered in-person due to insufficient adherence to prescribed behavioral strategies, and a lack of objective methods for behavioral self-monitoring to support adherence. One approach to monitoring and improving adherence involves tracking patients' weight loss progress on a personalized nomogram (i.e., graph). The nomogram is based on a dynamic energy balance equation and depicts the expected weight loss over time if the participant is adherent to a prescribed goal for caloric intake and physical activity. A complementary approach to measuring and intervening on adherence involves the use of mobile technology to monitor eating behavior. The Bite Counter is a wrist-worn device similar to a wristwatch that measures the timing, frequency, rate, and duration of eating events by monitoring the "wrist roll" motion that occurs when food is brought to the mouth. By using mathematical models to "calibrate" the Bite Counter to the weight loss nomogram, it may be possible to identify the optimal number of bites that any given patient should take each day in order to facilitate weight loss. The purpose of the proposed study is to conduct a small randomized controlled trial to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of adding weight loss nomograms and the Bite Counter to an established online weight loss program. A sample of 30 participants with overweight/obesity will be randomly assigned in equal proportions to one of three 12-week weight loss programs: (a) online behavioral weight loss treatment alone (OBWL), (b) online behavioral weight loss treatment plus the provision of weight loss nomograms with weekly feedback tailored to the nomogram (OBWL+N), or (c) online behavioral weight loss treatment plus the provision of weight loss nomograms with weekly feedback tailored to the nomogram and provision of a Bite Counter that can be used to alert participants when they are approaching their maximum number of prescribed bites per day (OBWL+N&BC).

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 (Anticipated)

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.
30

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02903
        • Recruiting
        • Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Resarch Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Graham Thomas, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Dale Bond, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Carly Goldstein, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Diana Thomas, PhD

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

18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Body mass index (BMI) between 27 and 45 kg/m^2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Self-report of health problems that make weight loss or unsupervised exercise unsafe or unreasonable
  • A heart condition, chest pain during periods of activity or rest, or loss of consciousness on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire
  • Currently pregnant or intend to become pregnant in the next 6 months
  • Planning to move outside of the geographic region within the next 6 months
  • Self-report any cognitive or physical limitations that preclude use of a personal computer
  • Participation in a study conducted at the research center in the past 2 years
  • Use of a commercial weight loss program within the last 6 months
  • Self-report a history of clinically diagnosed eating disorder excluding Binge Eating Disorder
  • Previous surgical procedure for weight loss
  • Current use of weight loss medication
  • Treatment of cancer within the last 6 months

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: Double

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.
Active Comparator: Online Weight Loss Program
Behavioral: Online Behavioral Weight Loss program
Experimental: Online Weight Loss Program + Nomogram
Behavioral: Online Behavioral Weight Loss program
Behavioral: Weight Loss Nomogram
Experimental: Online Weight Loss Program + Nomogram + Bite Counter
Behavioral: Online Behavioral Weight Loss program
Behavioral: Weight Loss Nomogram
Behavioral: Bite Counter

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
Weight Loss
Time Frame: 6 months after beginning treatment
6 months after beginning treatment

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
Number of online weight loss lessons viewed
Time Frame: 6 months after beginning treatment
6 months after beginning treatment
Number of weeks body weight, caloric intake, and physical activity reported online
Time Frame: 6 months after beginning treatment
6 months after beginning treatment
Number of weekly clinic visits attended
Time Frame: 6 months after beginning treatment
6 months after beginning treatment
Average number of bites of food per day
Time Frame: 6 months after beginning treatment
6 months after beginning treatment

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 Miriam Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
July 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

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.
July 1, 2017

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).
August 2, 2016

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.
August 2, 2016

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.
August 5, 2016

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.
August 5, 2016

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.
August 2, 2016

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.
August 1, 2016

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.
  • 212715 45CFR 46.110(4)(7)

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