Motivational Interviewing in the Management of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

September 24, 2025 updated by: Madunil Anuk Niriella

Motivational Interviewing for Weight Loss in the Management of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this study is to assess if motivational counselling works to reduce the weight in participants with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

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.

Detailed Description

Participants with NAFLD who meet inclusion and exclusion criteria and who give informed written consent, will be randomly assigned to the intervention and control group. Randomization will be done by using a random sequence generator with concealed allocation.

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.
231

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

  • Sri Lanka
    • Western Province
      • Ragama, Western Province, Sri Lanka, 11010
        • Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years to 60 years
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) is 25 kg/m^2 or more
  • Newly diagnosed with NAFLD based on clinical history, ultrasound scan and laboratory values

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any medical condition that will significantly alter the weight eg: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Cushing disease
  • Having moderate/severe depressive disorders or psychotic symptoms and or substance use disorders that would reduce their capacity to give consent and engage in Motivational interview
  • Who are on drugs which will affect weight or mood/affect (eg: corticosteroids)
  • Pregnancy or expecting to be conceive within the study period
  • Having any health conditions that would impede engagement in physical activities
  • Having any health conditions that would compromise the ability to follow the recommended dietary behaviors
  • Concurrent involvement in another weight loss programme

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: Motivational Interview with Placebo

Each participant receives a motivational interview session at the recruitment, 1, 3, 6 months.

Simultaneously, They receive dietary, exercise and lifestyle advices.
Behavioral: Motivational Interview
4 Motivational interviews within first 6 months
Behavioral: Placebo
Advices on standard of care treatment of NAFLD within first 6 months
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Participants receive dietary, exercise and lifestyle advices at the recruitment, 1, 3 and 6 months
Behavioral: Placebo
Advices on standard of care treatment of NAFLD within first 6 months

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 after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Weight is measured using a digital scale
Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Change in Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Lower AST and ALT levels have a better outcome
Baseline and 12 months
Change in platelet count after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Lower platelet count has a poor outcome
Baseline and 12 months
Change in waist circumference and hip circumference after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
The waist circumference is measured at the narrowest part of the waist. The hip circumference is measured at the widest part of the hips. Both are measured by using a measuring tape.
Baseline and 12 months
Change in total fat percentage and visceral fat percentage after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Both are measured by impedance method.
Baseline and 12 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 motivation for weight loss after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 months
It is assessed using the validated self-report University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) scale. The minimum value is -2 and the maximum value is +14. a higher score means a better outcome while a lower score means a poor outcome.
Baseline, 12 months
Change in depression, anxiety and stress after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 months
It is assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The minimum value for depression is 0 while maximum value is 28. A score more than 21 means severe depression. A minimum value for anxiety is 0 while maximum value is 20. A score more than 15 means severe anxiety. A minimum value for stress is 0 while maximum value is 34. A score more than 26 means severe stress.
Baseline, 12 months
Change in quality of life after 1 year compared to baseline
Time Frame: Baseline, 12 months
It is assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) version. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 100. A lower score indicates poor quality of life while a higher score indicates a good quality of life.
Baseline, 12 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.
Madunil Anuk Niriella

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.
  • Study Director: Aruni Hapangama, MBBS, MDPsych, FRANZCP, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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 (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.
May 31, 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.
April 22, 2025

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.
June 24, 2025

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).
March 25, 2024

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.
April 2, 2024

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.
April 5, 2024

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.
September 30, 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.
September 24, 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.
April 1, 2024

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.
  • P/38/04/2021

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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