Foundations for Health
Condition: Overweight; Obese
MeSH terms: Overweight
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Foundations for Health is a 12-week behavioral weight loss interventions primarily conducted
      via the internet aimed at helping overweight and obese young adults (ages 18-30) lose weight
      by increasing physical activity, decreasing the energy density of the diet, and increasing
      consumption of low energy dense self-made meals by providing culinary training skills.
    

Detailed description: 
      Young adulthood is recognized as a key time to focus on health promotion/disease prevention,
      as this time is when young individuals begin to transition to independence and thus are
      adopting health behaviors that will be carried into later adulthood. Unfortunately, this time
      period is often marked by decreases in physical activity and dietary quality. Working with
      young adults as they establish their first independent living situation can help set the
      foundation for behaviors that may aid with lifelong weight management and chronic disease
      prevention. Foundations for Health is the first study to examine the effect of a web-based
      lifestyle modification program in combination with culinary skills or lifestyle skills
      training sessions on weight loss, dietary intake, and meal preparation behaviors using a
      reduced energy dense diet in young adults with a family history of diabetes. Foundations for
      Health will provide a 12-week weight loss intervention for overweight and obese young adults,
      aged 18 to 35 years. Study participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions:
      1) a web-based behavioral intervention that decreases dietary energy density and increases
      physical activity; and 2) the same intervention combined with a hands-on culinary skills
      training program designed to increase food purchasing and meal self-preparation and
      consumption of meals low in energy density. The primary aims of this feasibility study are:
      1) determine if the web-based plus culinary training condition has a greater increase in food
      purchasing, meal preparation/cooking behaviors, and intake of self-made meals; and a greater
      decrease in consumption of "convenience meals" than the web-based condition at 3 months; and
      2) determine if the web-based plus culinary training condition has a greater decrease in
      dietary energy density and percent energy from fat and a greater increase in fruit and
      vegetable consumption than the web-based condition at 3 months.
    

Intervention name(s): Decrease Energy Density of the Diet; Increase Steps per Day; Consumption of Self-made Meals
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants will be given goals to help guide their food choices to decrease the energy density of the overall diet. The goals are to eat 10 or more foods with an ED less than 1.0 and 2 or less foods with an ED of great than 3.0 each day and to reduce portion sizes.; Participants will increase their steps per day by at least 3,000 steps per day above their baseline levels.; Participants will have the goal of increasing the number of self-prepared meals that they consume to 10 or more lunch and dinner meals each week.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Overweight; Obesity; Young Adults; Energy Density; Culinary Skills; Physical Activity; Consumption of Self-made Meals; Family History of diabetes