Deaf Weight Wise 2.0: A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention With Deaf Adults Who Are Overweight or Obese (DWW2)

Deaf Weight Wise 2.0: Clinical Trial of a Healthy Lifestyle Intervention With Deaf Adults Ages 21 to 70

The purpose of the Deaf Weight Wise 2.0 (DWW 2.0) study is to test an evidence-based, comprehensive program to modify obesity-related health behaviors with Deaf people ages 21 to 70 who use American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary language. Participants will be randomized to one of four arms: immediate intervention vs. intervention delayed one year, and in-person group intervention vs. individual intervention delivered via videophone. The investigators' primary hypothesis is that participants in the immediate DWW 2.0 intervention will increase their physical activity and reduce their caloric intake and body weight compared with those in the delayed intervention group (no intervention yet).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Overweight
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise 2.0

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 76
• 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: 21 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Deaf men and women ages 21-70 years who use sign language and live in the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA),
• have a body mass index (BMI) of 25-45.
• Eligible subjects must also have 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), 2) self-reported heart condition, chest pain, dizziness, or other reason not to participate in physical activity, 3) had weight loss surgery in the previous 2 years (self-reported), and 4) are pregnant (self-reported).
• Subjects must also be willing to follow a healthy dietary pattern and to abstain from using weight loss medications during the study, and be willing and able to attend either group or videophone sessions, and to participate in data collection requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Exclusion criteria include: subjects without medical clearance who had 1) a cardiovascular disease event in the past six months, 2) or heart condition, chest pain, dizziness, or other reason not to participate in physical activity, 3) or weight loss surgery in the past two years, or 4) are pregnant. Participants with these conditions (as determined by the PAR-Q Physical Activity Readiness-Questionnaire and other questions administered during the initial study screening visit) must obtain medical clearance from their primary healthcare clinician (or maternity care clinician for pregnancy) to be eligible. Those who are unable or unwilling to provide written, informed consent, and inability to see and interact with computer-based questionnaires and educational interventions will be excluded.

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

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immediate Group Intervention; This arm will receive the DWW 2.0 Group intervention in Year 1 of the clinical trial. The group intervention will consist of groups of approximately 6-8 subjects who meet together for 16 weeks, for two hours each week. A trained, deaf, American Sign Language (ASL)-fluent DWW 2.0 counselor will lead the sessions. Subjects will be asked to complete a daily food and physical activity diary during the course of the 16-week intervention. Each intervention session will include a weigh-in, group sharing and problem solving, discussion of a weight management topic, which may include watching a powerpoint presentation and/or video; and a discussion on goal setting and action planning for the next week.	Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise 2.0; Deaf Weight Wise 2.0 is a group or individual intervention lead by trained, American Sign Language fluent Deaf counselors, who utilize an existing evidence-based curriculum that emphasizes healthy eating, exercise, and lifestyle components. It is a behavior change intervention that uses motivational interviewing techniques to help participants identify/recognize their own unhealthy behaviors, help individuals build skills that will promote behavior change, and help group members to support each other to make behavior changes. The Curriculum includes group exercise activities ("Do It!"), experiential learning activities ("Try It!" such as learning how to read a nutrition label or modify a recipe to make it healthier), and group activities related to food preparation or sampling healthy foods ("Taste It!"). Self-monitoring using daily food diaries and weekly "weigh-ins" is also a key component. The intervention also includes a 6-month follow up and maintenance phase.
Experimental: Immediate Videophone Intervention; This arm will receive the DWW 2.0 Individual Videophone intervention in Year 1 of the clinical trial. The participant and their intervention counselor will have one-on-one sessions that take place via videophone (like a Skype call), for one hour each week. Each session will be led by a trained deaf, ASL-fluent DWW 2.0 counselor and will be held at a scheduled appointment time that is agreed upon by the subject and the counselor. Subjects will be asked to complete a daily food and physical activity diary during the course of the 16-week intervention. Each intervention session will include a weigh-in, personal sharing and problem solving, discussion of a weight management topic, which may include watching a powerpoint presentation and/or video; and a discussion on goal setting and action planning for the next week.	Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise 2.0; Deaf Weight Wise 2.0 is a group or individual intervention lead by trained, American Sign Language fluent Deaf counselors, who utilize an existing evidence-based curriculum that emphasizes healthy eating, exercise, and lifestyle components. It is a behavior change intervention that uses motivational interviewing techniques to help participants identify/recognize their own unhealthy behaviors, help individuals build skills that will promote behavior change, and help group members to support each other to make behavior changes. The Curriculum includes group exercise activities ("Do It!"), experiential learning activities ("Try It!" such as learning how to read a nutrition label or modify a recipe to make it healthier), and group activities related to food preparation or sampling healthy foods ("Taste It!"). Self-monitoring using daily food diaries and weekly "weigh-ins" is also a key component. The intervention also includes a 6-month follow up and maintenance phase.
Other: Delayed Group Intervention; This arm will receive the DWW 2.0 Group intervention in Year 2 of the clinical trial. The group intervention will consist of groups of approximately 6-8 subjects who meet together for 16 weeks, for two hours each week. A trained, deaf, American Sign Language (ASL)-fluent DWW 2.0 counselor will lead the sessions. Subjects will be asked to complete a daily food and physical activity diary during the course of the 16-week intervention. Each intervention session will include a weigh-in, group sharing and problem solving, discussion of a weight management topic, which may include watching a powerpoint presentation and/or video; and a discussion on goal setting and action planning for the next week.	Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise 2.0; Deaf Weight Wise 2.0 is a group or individual intervention lead by trained, American Sign Language fluent Deaf counselors, who utilize an existing evidence-based curriculum that emphasizes healthy eating, exercise, and lifestyle components. It is a behavior change intervention that uses motivational interviewing techniques to help participants identify/recognize their own unhealthy behaviors, help individuals build skills that will promote behavior change, and help group members to support each other to make behavior changes. The Curriculum includes group exercise activities ("Do It!"), experiential learning activities ("Try It!" such as learning how to read a nutrition label or modify a recipe to make it healthier), and group activities related to food preparation or sampling healthy foods ("Taste It!"). Self-monitoring using daily food diaries and weekly "weigh-ins" is also a key component. The intervention also includes a 6-month follow up and maintenance phase.
Other: Delayed Videophone Intervention; This arm will receive the DWW 2.0 Individual Videophone intervention in Year 2 of the clinical trial. The participant and their intervention counselor will have one-on-one sessions that take place via videophone (like a Skype call), for one hour each week. Each session will be led by a trained deaf, ASL-fluent DWW 2.0 counselor and will be held at a scheduled appointment time that is agreed upon by the subject and the counselor. Subjects will be asked to complete a daily food and physical activity diary during the the course of the 16-week intervention. Each intervention session will include a weigh-in, personal sharing and problem solving, discussion of a weight management topic, which may include watching a powerpoint presentation and/or video; and a discussion on goal setting and action planning for the next week.	Behavioral: Deaf Weight Wise 2.0; Deaf Weight Wise 2.0 is a group or individual intervention lead by trained, American Sign Language fluent Deaf counselors, who utilize an existing evidence-based curriculum that emphasizes healthy eating, exercise, and lifestyle components. It is a behavior change intervention that uses motivational interviewing techniques to help participants identify/recognize their own unhealthy behaviors, help individuals build skills that will promote behavior change, and help group members to support each other to make behavior changes. The Curriculum includes group exercise activities ("Do It!"), experiential learning activities ("Try It!" such as learning how to read a nutrition label or modify a recipe to make it healthier), and group activities related to food preparation or sampling healthy foods ("Taste It!"). Self-monitoring using daily food diaries and weekly "weigh-ins" is also a key component. The intervention also includes a 6-month follow up and maintenance phase.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Body Weight (kg)	measure mean change = 6-month weight - baseline weight, for the immediate and delayed intervention groups (change from pre to post intervention).	6 month weight (kg) - baseline weight (kg)
Change in BMI (Body Mass Index)	measure mean change = 6-month BMI - baseline BMI, for the immediate and delayed intervention groups (change from pre to post intervention).	6-month BMI - baseline BMI
Change in Physical Activity	change in amount of physical activity = 6-month MET-minutes/week - baseline MET-minutes/week (change from pre to post intervention), using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. IPAQ score is a continuous measure and reports median MET-minutes per week (a combination of walking met-minutes/week + moderate activity MET-minutes/week + vigorous activity MET-minutes/week).	6-month MET-min/wk - baseline MET-min/wk

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 25, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 29, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): August 29, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 18, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 18, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): February 23, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 5, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Overweight; Obese; Deaf; American Sign Language
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: Deaf Weight Wise 2.0

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No