Online Dietary Weight Loss Program for Arab Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

April 1, 2026 updated by: Asma Yahya

Testing an Online Dietary Weight Loss Program for Arab Adults: A Comparative Study With Existing Hospital-Based Weight Loss Interventions in Saudi Arabia

This study is testing whether a culturally adapted online dietary and lifestyle program can help Arab adults in Saudi Arabia lose weight and improve their overall health. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: an online lifestyle and dietary intervention group or a usual care group receiving standard hospital-based dietary care.

The online program lasts 6 months and includes 12 Arabic-language educational sessions, practical guidance on healthy eating and lifestyle habits, and support from dietitians when needed. The usual care group will receive personalized dietary advice as normally provided in the hospital setting.

Researchers will compare the two groups to see how the program affects body weight, dietary habits, and quality of life over time. The goal of this study is to identify an effective and accessible weight management approach for Arab adults in Saudi Arabia.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Obesity is a growing public health concern in Saudi Arabia and is associated with increased risk of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Although hospital-based weight management services are available, access to structured, culturally relevant, and sustainable dietary support remains limited for many adults. Online interventions may offer a practical and scalable alternative, particularly when they are tailored to local language, culture, and eating habits.

This study will evaluate a culturally adapted online dietary and lifestyle intervention designed for Arab adults in Saudi Arabia. The intervention was developed based on the EMPOWER weight loss program and revised using participant feedback from a prior Saudi pilot study. The current version includes Arabic-language educational content, Saudi food examples, visual tools to support food choices, and ongoing support for behavior change and weight management.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either the online lifestyle and dietary intervention group or the usual care group. The online intervention will be delivered over 6 months and will include 12 educational sessions, practical dietary guidance, and individualized support from dietitians when needed. Participants in the usual care group will receive the standard dietary care available through the hospital.

Study outcomes will include changes in body weight, waist and hip circumference, dietary intake, and health-related quality of life over time. The findings from this trial may help identify an effective, accessible, and culturally appropriate model for obesity treatment in Arab populations.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

68

Phase

  • 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

  • Saudi Arabia
    • Mecca Region
      • Mecca, Mecca Region, Saudi Arabia
        • King Abdullah Medical City

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Adults aged 18 to 75 years Arabic-speaking Body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m² Have at least one obesity-related comorbidity, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or joint-related problems Own a smartphone Have Wi-Fi/internet access at home Willing to participate in a 6-month study Willing to attend 12 educational sessions if assigned to the intervention group Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

Currently pregnant or breastfeeding Planning pregnancy during the study period Currently using weight loss medications (including GLP-1 medications) History of bariatric surgery Planning bariatric surgery during the study period Currently participating in another structured weight loss program Severe medical conditions that may make participation unsafe, such as serious renal disease or other unstable health conditions Limited ability to use online materials or complete digital assessments independently

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Lifestyle and Dietary Intervention (LDI)
Participants in this group will receive a 6-month online lifestyle and dietary intervention consisting of 12 Arabic-language educational sessions. The program includes guidance on healthy eating, behavior change, and weight management, along with optional support from dietitians and regular feedback on progress.
Behavioral: Online Lifestyle and Dietary Program
A culturally adapted, 6-month online program designed for Arab adults that includes 12 educational sessions, practical dietary guidance, and tools to support sustainable lifestyle changes and weight management. Participants may also receive support from dietitians and feedback on dietary and weight progress.
Active Comparator: Usual Care
Participants in this group will receive standard hospital-based dietary care, including a personalized dietary plan based on their medical needs and routine clinical follow-up.
Behavioral: Usual Dietary Care
Standard dietary care provided in the hospital setting, including individualized dietary recommendations based on clinical assessment and routine follow-up.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Body Weight
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 Months, and 6 Months
Change in body weight in kilograms measured from baseline to follow-up visits.
Baseline, 3 Months, and 6 Months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Waist and Hip Circumference
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 Months, and 6 Months
Change in waist and hip circumference measured in centimeters from baseline to follow-up visits.
Baseline, 3 Months, and 6 Months
Change in Dietary Intake
Time Frame: Baseline, Monthly Dietary Records, and 6 Months
Changes in dietary intake, including calorie intake and protein and fiber density, assessed using dietary records and food frequency questionnaire.
Baseline, Monthly Dietary Records, and 6 Months
Change in Health-Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 Months
Changes in health-related quality of life measured using the RAND 36-Item Health Survey (RAND-36).
Baseline and 6 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Asma Yahya

Collaborators

King Abdullah Medical City

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Manabu Nakamura, PhD, DVM, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Study Director: Asma Yahya, MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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

Helpful Links

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)

March 9, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 1, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UIllinoisUI
  • IRB26-0319 (Other Identifier: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)
  • IRB25-1474 (Other Identifier: King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC), Saudi Arabia)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in publications from this study will be made available. This may include baseline characteristics, anthropometric outcomes, dietary intake measures, and quality-of-life questionnaire data collected during the trial. No directly identifiable participant information will be shared.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

De-identified data and supporting documents will be available beginning 6 months after publication of the primary study results and will remain available for up to 5 years thereafter.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Access will be provided to qualified researchers whose proposed use of the data has been reviewed and approved by the study investigators. Requests must include a methodologically sound proposal and may be subject to a data use agreement. Only de-identified data and approved supporting documents will be shared, in accordance with institutional policies and applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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