Auricular Acupuncture in the Treatment of Obesity (AcupObesity)

Auricular Acupuncture in the Treatment of Obesity: a Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Trial

Male and female DoD beneficiaries ages 18 years or older, who are referred for a standard of care weight loss intervention for treatment of obesity will be recruited. Subjects will be randomized into one of two groups receiving either a standard of care weight loss intervention plus auricular acupuncture at Shen Men, Point Zero, and Appetite Control Point/Hunger Point or receiving a standard of care weight loss intervention plus sham auricular acupuncture. Subjects will receive treatment in accordance with their randomization group for 12 weeks then have one additional follow up visit at week 24. The following measures will be obtained: height, weight, waist circumference, and Body Mass Index will be calculated.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Auricular Acupuncture; Other: Sham Acupuncture

Detailed Description

Screening Visit:

Obtain signed Informed Consent document and HIPAA Authorization. Review past medical history in Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) to verify the inclusion/exclusion criteria and to verify the inclusion/exclusion criteria including previous encounter, vital signs review, medication list, co-morbidities, demographics, problems list, and note any prior acupuncture received.

Record: Date of birth, age, gender, race, ethnicity, last 4 of social security number, name of standard of care weight loss intervention, current email address, height (in inches), weight (in pounds), waist circumference (in inches) measurement, previous bariatric surgery, and body mass index calculated.

Visit 1-Week 1: (1st week of standard of care weight intervention)

Subjects will be randomized into 1 of 2 groups and treated:

• Group 1: Standard of care weight loss intervention plus auricular acupuncture at Shen Men, Point Zero, and Appetite Control Point/Hunger Point in each ear. The 3 needles will remain in each ear for 15 minutes.
• Group 2: Standard of care weight loss intervention plus sham acupuncture at three nonacupoints in each ear. The 3 needles will remain in each ear for 15 minutes.

All subjects, regardless of randomization group, will be instructed to have no heavy meals, no excessive hot or cold foods, no heavy exercise or intercourse, and no alcohol for 24 hours after this visit.

Visit 2-12 (Week 2-12 of standard of care weight intervention):

Subjects will be given treatment according to their randomization group. The acupuncture needles will be applied and remain in each ear for 15 minutes.

Record: weight, waist circumference measurement, and document compliance for standard of care weight loss intervention (i.e. attendance and measurements from class).

All subjects, regardless of randomization group, will be instructed to have no heavy meals, no excessive hot or cold foods, no heavy exercise or intercourse, and no alcohol for 24 hours after this visit.

Visit 13 (Week 24/12 weeks post visit 12):

Record: weight, and waist circumference measurement.

Subjects will be asked the following questions:

• Do you follow a regular routine of physical exercise? Yes/No *If yes, what type of exercise (mark all that apply):
• Aerobic (cardiovascular endurance, e.g. cycling, swimming, walking, hiking)
• Anaerobic (strength or resistance, e.g. weight lifting, sprinting, interval training)

• Flexibility (stretching, e.g. yoga, pilates, gymnastics) On average, how many times per week do you exercise?

  • 0-1
  • 2-4
  • 5+ How many minutes on average is each exercise session?
  • 10-20
  • 20-30
  • 30-60
  • 60 At what level of intensity?
  • Light
  • Moderate
  • Heavy How would you rate the "health" of your eating habits?
  • Poor
  • Fair
  • Average
  • Good
  • Excellent

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 82
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89191
      • Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital/Nellis Air Force Base

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

THIS STUDY IS BEING CONDUCTED AT A MILITARY INSTALLATION. YOU MUST HAVE MILITARY INSURANCE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STUDY.

Inclusion:

Male and female DoD beneficiaries, aged 18 years or older, with a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater who were referred to a standard of care weight loss intervention

Exclusion:

Pregnant women Patients who are taking weight loss medication Uncontrolled hypothyroidism Absence of their ear Active cellulitis of their ear Ear anatomy precluding identification of acupuncture landmarks and use of hearing aids that preclude the insertion of needles

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group 1; Group 1: Standard of care weight loss intervention plus auricular acupuncture at Shen Men, Point Zero, and Appetite Control Point/Hunger Point in each ear.	Other: Auricular Acupuncture; Standard of care weight loss intervention plus auricular acupuncture at Shen Men, Point Zero, and Appetite Control Point/Hunger Point in each ear.; Other Names: acupuncture
Sham Comparator: Group 2; Group 2: Standard of care weight loss intervention plus sham acupuncture at three nonacupoints in each ear.	Other: Sham Acupuncture; Standard of care weight loss intervention plus sham acupuncture at three nonacupoints in each ear.; Other Names: sham

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight Change	As assessed by weight in pounds. Weight change between baseline and week 24. Positive number equals pounds lost.	baseline to week 24 (12 wks post visit 12)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mike O'Callaghan Military Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Clinton Borchardt, MD, Mike O'Callaghan Federal Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 14, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 20, 2014
• First Posted (Estimated): October 21, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 17, 2024
• Last Verified: June 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: FWH20140089H

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