Study of a Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for Deaf Adults Who Are Overweight or Obese (DWW)

Deaf Weight Wise: A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention for Deaf Adults

The purpose of the Deaf Weight Wise study is to test a 16 week, evidence-based, comprehensive program to change obesity-related health behaviors in Deaf people who use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language.

Participants will be randomized to one of two study arms - immediate intervention or delayed intervention. In addition to the intervention activities, participants will also take part in five study visits over the course of two years. At these study visits, the investigators will administer several surveys as well as conduct biometric assessments.

The investigators primary hypothesis is that the immediate intervention group will increase their levels of physical activity and reduce their caloric intake and body weight immediately following the intervention, compared to the delayed intervention group.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Overweight
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 104
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
      • University of Rochester; National Center for Deaf Health Research

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Deaf men and women ages 40-70 years who use sign language and live in the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), have a body mass index (BMI) of 25-45
• Permission to participate from a primary healthcare provider if: 1) self-reported diagnosis of a recent cardiovascular disease event (heart attack or stroke in past 6 months), and 2) self-reported heart condition, chest pain, dizziness, or other reason not to participate in physical activity 3) self-reported weight loss surgery in the past two years
• Must be willing to follow a healthy dietary pattern and to abstain from using weight loss medications during the study
• Must be willing and able to attend group sessions and to participate in data collection requirements

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who had a cardiovascular disease event in the past 6 months who did not obtain medical clearance from their provider
• Participants who had self-reported heart condition, chest pain, dizziness, or other reason not to participate in physical activity who did not obtain medical clearance from their provider
• Participants who had weight loss surgery in the past two years and who did not obtain medical clearance from their provider
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or planning a pregnancy during the study period (each of which will be determined by subject self-report through an in-person interview with a research team member)
• Those people who are unable or unwilling to provide written, informed consent
• Those people who are unable to see and interact with computer-based questionnaires and educational interventions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immediate intervention group; This arm will receive the intervention immediately following baseline data collection.	Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise program; Groups will consist of approximately 13 subjects who meet for 2 hours a week for 16 weeks. Group sessions will be offered at a variety of times and days of the week. A trained, deaf, ASL-fluent counselor will lead the sessions. Subjects will be asked to complete a food and physical activity diary. Each intervention session will include a weigh-in, group sharing/problem solving, discussion of a weight management topic, and goal setting/action planning for the next week. Periodically, each subject will receive a Personal Feedback Report. Subjects will be able to earn points for complying with various aspects of the program. Points can be redeemed for small prizes (i.e. water bottles). The maintenance phase consists of two meetings at the beginning of the 6-month maintenance period and three months later. This will consist of a weigh-in, review of self-monitored diet and physical activity, problem solving and goal setting/action planning for their long-term program.
Experimental: Delayed intervention group; This arm will receive the intervention one year following the immediate intervention group.	Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise program; Groups will consist of approximately 13 subjects who meet for 2 hours a week for 16 weeks. Group sessions will be offered at a variety of times and days of the week. A trained, deaf, ASL-fluent counselor will lead the sessions. Subjects will be asked to complete a food and physical activity diary. Each intervention session will include a weigh-in, group sharing/problem solving, discussion of a weight management topic, and goal setting/action planning for the next week. Periodically, each subject will receive a Personal Feedback Report. Subjects will be able to earn points for complying with various aspects of the program. Points can be redeemed for small prizes (i.e. water bottles). The maintenance phase consists of two meetings at the beginning of the 6-month maintenance period and three months later. This will consist of a weigh-in, review of self-monitored diet and physical activity, problem solving and goal setting/action planning for their long-term program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight Change	We measured the mean change in weight for the immediate and delayed groups, from baseline to 6 months (post-intervention for the immediate group; no intervention yet for the delayed group). We used intention to treat analyses, with any missing values carried forward from baseline to the 6-month data point.	Baseline and 6 months
Change in Dietary Risk Assessment (DRA) Score	We measured the mean change in DRA score for the immediate and delayed groups, from baseline to 6 months (post-intervention for the immediate group; no intervention yet for the delayed group). We used intention to treat analyses, with any missing values carried forward from baseline to the 6-month data point. DRA scores range from 0-96; lower scores are better (improved dietary quality).	Baseline and 6 months
Change in Physical Activity Assessment (PAA) Score	We measured the mean change in the moderate PAA score for the immediate and delayed groups, from baseline to 6 months (post-intervention for the immediate group; no intervention yet for the delayed group). We used intention to treat analyses, with any missing values carried forward from baseline to the 6-month data point. PAA moderate activity scores range from 0-27; higher scores are better (more physical activity).	Baseline and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Rochester
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Steven Barnett, MD, University of Rochester

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Samuel-Hodge CD, Johnston LF, Gizlice Z, Garcia BA, Lindsley SC, Bramble KP, Hardy TE, Ammerman AS, Poindexter PA, Will JC, Keyserling TC. Randomized trial of a behavioral weight loss intervention for low-income women: the Weight Wise Program. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Oct;17(10):1891-9. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.128. Epub 2009 Apr 30.
• Barnett S, Matthews K, DeWindt L, Sutter E, Samuel-Hodge C, Yang H, Pearson TA; Deaf Weight Wise Study Group. Deaf Weight Wise: A novel randomized clinical trial with Deaf sign language users. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Apr;31(4):965-976. doi: 10.1002/oby.23702. Epub 2023 Mar 8.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 21, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 10, 2011
• First Posted (Estimated): October 14, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 6, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 23, 2023
• Last Verified: August 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: Deaf Weight Wise