FoodRx for Obesity Treatment

December 2, 2025 updated by: University of Pennsylvania

Food Supplementation Interventions to Improve Weight Loss for Adults With Food Insecurity and Obesity

This study is a 3-group, parallel design, randomized controlled trial (RCT) in 105 adults with obesity and food insecurity that will compare BWL-Alone (including standard-of-care referral and connection with community food resources; n=35) to BWL plus food supplementation with either food vouchers (BWL+VOUCHER; n=35) or home-delivered, medically tailored groceries consistent with BWL recommendations (BWL+HOME; n=35). All groups will have BWL treatment provided for 24 weeks per clinical guidelines. Food vouchers and HOME will be provided for 24 weeks of treatment. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, and weeks 12 and 24.

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.
105

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
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania

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

14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
  2. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
  3. Age >18 years
  4. BMI >30 kg/m2 at screening visit
  5. Screening positive for food insecurity using a score of >3 on the 10-item US Adult Food Security Survey Module109
  6. Completion of baseline assessments
  7. Ability to engage in physical activity (i.e., can walk at least 2 blocks)
  8. Willing and able to provide pictures of food receipts to study team (or mail actual receipts)
  9. Ability to reliably receive packages at a consistent location in a timely manner
  10. Telephone or internet service to communicate with study staff
  11. For females of reproductive potential: agreement to use of highly effective contraception for during study participation

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Serious medical conditions (e.g., type 1 or type 2 diabetes, renal failure) that may pose a risk to the participant during intervention, cause a change in weight, or limit ability to adhere to the program's behavioral recommendations
  2. Significant psychiatric conditions (e.g., active substance abuse, schizophrenia) that may pose a risk to the participant during intervention, cause a change in weight, or limit ability to adhere to the program's behavioral recommendations
  3. Breastfeeding, pregnant or planning pregnancy in the next 6 months
  4. Planned move from the Philadelphia area in the next 6 months
  5. Weight loss of >5 kg in the previous 90 days
  6. Recently began a course of or changed the dosage of medication that can cause significant weight change (±5 kg)
  7. Previous or planned obesity treatment with surgery (excluding lap band if removed for >1 year) or a weight-loss device
  8. Use of prescription or over the counter medications for chronic weight management in the past 3 months
  9. Household member already participating in study due to potential contamination effects
  10. Lack of stable residence and ability to store and prepare food

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.
Active Comparator: Behavioral weight loss counseling (BWL) alone
BWL counseling alone
Behavioral: Behavioral weight loss counseling (BWL)
The behavioral weight loss program consists of 14 individual lifestyle counseling sessions provided over 24 weeks. Each session will be approximately 15-20 minutes. Visits will be scheduled weekly for the first 4 weeks (weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4) and every-other week from weeks 6-24 (weeks 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24). The sessions will provide behavioral, dietary, and physical counseling.
Experimental: BWL+VOUCHER
BWL counseling and gift cards to grocery stores
Behavioral: Behavioral weight loss counseling (BWL)
The behavioral weight loss program consists of 14 individual lifestyle counseling sessions provided over 24 weeks. Each session will be approximately 15-20 minutes. Visits will be scheduled weekly for the first 4 weeks (weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4) and every-other week from weeks 6-24 (weeks 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24). The sessions will provide behavioral, dietary, and physical counseling.
Behavioral: BWL+VOUCHER
This group will receive the BWL program as well as food vouchers, in the form of grocery store gift cards. Participants will be allowed to select to receive gift cards to a grocery store or supermarket from a pre-determined list of stores. Gift cards worth $40 will be emailed or mailed to every 2 weeks after the BWL session.
Experimental: BWL+HOME
BWL counseling and home-delivered boxes of groceries
Behavioral: Behavioral weight loss counseling (BWL)
The behavioral weight loss program consists of 14 individual lifestyle counseling sessions provided over 24 weeks. Each session will be approximately 15-20 minutes. Visits will be scheduled weekly for the first 4 weeks (weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4) and every-other week from weeks 6-24 (weeks 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24). The sessions will provide behavioral, dietary, and physical counseling.
Behavioral: BWL+HOME
This group will receive the BWL program as well as home-delivered boxes of groceries of low-energy density foods conducive to weight management guidelines. Groceries will include shelf-stable and perishable products like lean meats, fresh vegetables, and fruits. Every 2 weeks, participants assigned to this group will be allowed to select a choice of one of 4 boxes with slightly varied contents. Each box will have approximately $40 worth of groceries.

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
Percent Change in Total Body Weight at 24 Weeks (BWL+VOUCHER and BWL+HOME vs BWL-Alone)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Comparison of BWL+VOUCHER and BWL+HOME vs BWL-Alone in weight change (percent of initial weight) at 24 weeks. Positive numbers represent increases and negative numbers represent decreases.
Change from baseline to 24 weeks

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
Percent Change in Total Body Weight at 24 Weeks (BWL+HOME vs BWL+VOUCHER)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Comparison of BWL+HOME vs BWL+VOUCHER in weight loss (percent of initial weight) at 24 weeks. Negative values indicate losses. Positive values indicate gains.
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
General Health-related Quality of Life (BWL+VOUCHER and BWL+HOME vs BWL-Alone)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in general health-related quality of life (physical function component score) as assessed with the Short Form-36. Scores range from 0 (worse) to 100 (best).
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Weight-related Quality of Life (BWL+VOUCHER and BWL+HOME vs BWL-Alone)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in weight-related quality of life as assessed with the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite. Scores range from 0 (worse) to 100 (best).
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Dietary Quality as Assessed by Skin Carotenoid Levels (BWL+VOUCHER and BWL+HOME vs BWL-Alone)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in skin carotenoid levels (skin carotenoids are measured on a scale from 0-800). Lower scores are worse and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Dietary Quality as Assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (BWL+VOUCHER and BWL+HOME vs BWL-Alone)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in Healthy Eating Index scores as measured with the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool. Scores range from 0 (worse) to 100 (best).
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
General Health-related Quality of Life (BWL+VOUCHER vs BWL+HOME)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in general health-related quality of life as assessed with the Short Form-36. Scores range from 0 (worse) to 100 (best).
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Weight-related Quality of Life (BWL+VOUCHER vs BWL+HOME)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in weight-related quality of life (physical component scale) as assessed with the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite. Scores range from 0 (worse) to 100 (best).
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Dietary Quality as Assessed by Skin Carotenoid Levels (BWL+VOUCHER vs BWL+HOME)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in skin carotenoid levels (skin carotenoids are measured on a scale from 0-800). Lower scores are worse and higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Dietary Quality as Assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (BWL+VOUCHER vs BWL+HOME)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 24 weeks
Change from baseline to week 24 in Healthy Eating Index scores as measured with the ASA24. Scores range from 0 (worse) to 100 (best).
Change from baseline to 24 weeks

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 Pennsylvania

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

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 (Actual)

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.
December 1, 2022

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.
July 1, 2024

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.
July 1, 2024

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 22, 2022

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 22, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

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.
December 2, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
December 17, 2025

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.
December 2, 2025

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.
December 1, 2025

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.
  • 852467
  • R56NR020466-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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