Choosing Healthy Options in College Environments and Settings (CHOICES)

Evaluating Innovative Weight Reduction Strategies for College Students

Examine the effectiveness of a weight gain prevention intervention to positively affect body mass index in 2-year college students

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: CHOICES Intervention

Detailed Description

The goal of this research is to develop and test innovative strategies to help prevent unhealthy weight gain in college students attending 2-year community or technical colleges. The intervention we propose for Phase 2, and will refine through our formative experiences in Phase 1, will be based on social ecological and social networks models with students randomized to conditions. Students (n=440) with BMIs between 20.0 and 34.9 will be recruited to participate in an intervention trial that lasts 24 months. After the initial screening and consent procedures, students will complete baseline measures that include: assessment of body composition; blood pressure and a blood draw; a behavioral and psychosocial survey; medical and weight history and two 24-hour online dietary recalls. After the completion of baseline assessments, students will be randomized into treatment or control conditions. Students randomized into the intervention condition will participate in a 1-credit course offered through their 2-year college that focuses on eating, activity, sleep and stress management as ways to help maintain or achieve a healthy weight; three course sections will be offered to accommodate students' scheduling needs and learning preferences. A web-based social network and support component will be introduced as part of this course and will continue as the intervention channel for 20 months following the 1-credit course. This supported intervention phase will use a study-designed website to reinforce, inform and encourage exchange and support between all intervention participants. Students will be asked to track their weight and weight-control behaviors on the website and intervention staff will interact with participants electronically or through phone calls offering encouragement and helping with problem solving. Control students will receive their health assessments and usual care including existing public health information on maintaining a healthy weight and information regarding health services offered on their school's campus. The effectiveness and sustainability of the intervention approaches will be evaluated.

The primary aim is to examine the effectiveness of a 24-month weight gain prevention intervention to positively affect BMI in 2-year college students. Our hypothesis is that students randomized to an intervention condition will experience a smaller increase in mean BMI post treatment, as compared to students randomized to the control condition.

The secondary aims of this study are to: 1) Examine the effectiveness of a weight gain prevention intervention to positively affect weight in 2-year college students' and 2) compare the effects of the intervention and control groups with regard to change in BMI and weight from baseline to four months and from baseline to 12 months.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 441
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Coon Rapids, Minnesota, United States, 55433
      • Anoka Ramsey Community College
    • Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, United States, 55076
      • Inver Hills Community College
    • St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, 55102
      • Saint Paul College

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-35 years
• Intending to be available for a 24 month intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide informed consent
• BMI < 18.5 kg/m2, >/=35 kg/m2
• Household member on study staff
• Past or planned (within the next 24 months) weight loss surgery (e.g. gastric bypass, lap band, or liposuction); current participation in a commercial weight loss program (e.g. Weight Watcher's, Jenny Craig); current or planned enrollment in another diet/physical activity/weight loss intervention study
• Regular use of systemic steroids, prescription weight loss drugs, and/or diabetes medications (oral or injected). "Regular use" is defined as "taking this medication most days of the week for the previous month"
• Current treatment for an eating disorder
• Cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke, episode of heart failure, or revascularization procedure) within the last 6 months
• Current treatment for malignancy (other than non-melanoma skin cancer)
• Investigator discretion
• Currently pregnant or gave birth within the last 6 months, currently lactating or breastfeeding within the last 3 months, actively planning pregnancy within the next 24 months.
• Systolic BP at screening >/= 160 mmHg or diastolic BP >/= 100 mmHg. If BP exceeds this level, participants can return for re-screening after being evaluated and treated for hypertension.
• Weight loss of more than 15 lbs over the past three months
• Trying to gain weight.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group; The CHOICES intervention included a 1-credit, academic college course focusing on healthy weight behaviors and participation in a social networking and social support website	Behavioral: CHOICES Intervention; Academic course on healthy weight behaviors followed by participation in a social networking and social support website.
No Intervention: Control Group; Control group (serving as a comparison group)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Body Mass Index (BMI)	The primary aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a 24-month weight gain prevention intervention to positively affect body mass index (BMI) in 2-year college students. Our hypothesis is that students randomized to an intervention condition will experience a smaller increase in mean BMI post treatment as compared to students randomized to the control condition.	Baseline to 24 Months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevalence of Overweight/Obese	The prevalence of overweight/obese between intervention and control students	Baseline to 24 Months
Change in BMI From Baseline to 4 Months	Comparison of the effects of the intervention and control groups with regard to change in BMI from baseline to 4 months	Baseline to 4 Months
Change in Weight From Baseline to 4 Months	Comparison of the effects of the intervention and control groups with regard to change in weight from baseline to 4 months	Baseline to 4 Months
Change in BMI From Baseline to 12 Months	Comparison of the effects of the intervention and control groups with regard to change in BMI from baseline to 12 months	Baseline to 12 Months
Change in Weight From Baseline to 12 Months	Comparison of the effects of the intervention and control groups with regard to change in weight from baseline to 12 months	Baseline to 12 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Minnesota
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Melissa N. Laska, PhD, RD, University of Minnesota

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lytle LA, Laska MN, Linde JA, Moe SG, Nanney MS, Hannan PJ, Erickson DJ. Weight-Gain Reduction Among 2-Year College Students: The CHOICES RCT. Am J Prev Med. 2017 Feb;52(2):183-191. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.10.012. Epub 2016 Dec 6.
• Laska MN, Lytle LA, Nanney MS, Moe SG, Linde JA, Hannan PJ. Results of a 2-year randomized, controlled obesity prevention trial: Effects on diet, activity and sleep behaviors in an at-risk young adult population. Prev Med. 2016 Aug;89:230-236. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.06.001. Epub 2016 Jun 7.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 28, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 28, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): June 2, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): June 17, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 10, 2016
• Last Verified: May 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 0908S71521; 1U01HL096767 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO