Contingency Management for Promoting Weight Loss in University Students
Condition: Contingency Management; Weight Loss
MeSH terms: Body Weight; Weight Loss
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Rates of overweight and obesity are increasing, particularly among individuals aged 18 to 29.
      An estimated 25-35% of American college and university students are overweight or obese.
      Contingency Management (CM) is a behavioral intervention that provides tangible rewards for
      positive behaviors. CM has substantial evidence of efficacy in reducing smoking and drug use
      and increasing treatment retention and medication compliance. The current study will evaluate
      the efficacy of a 24-week CM intervention to promote weight loss in overweight and obese
      university students. Seventy participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 27.0-34.9 will be
      randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (a) LEARN, a manual guided behavioral weight loss
      program (Brownell, 2004), with weigh-ins and supportive counseling, or (b) LEARN with
      weigh-ins and supportive counseling plus CM. Participants in the CM condition will earn
      chances to win prizes each week in which they lose at least one pound. Once they lose 5% of
      baseline body weight, they will earn chances to win prizes for weight loss or weight
      maintenance. Additional chances can be earned by completing activities that promote weight
      loss. The primary outcomes will be absolute and proportional weight loss from pre- to
      post-treatment, as well as proportion of participants achieving clinically significant weight
      loss (>5% of baseline weight) and proportion moving into a lower risk BMI category. Secondary
      outcomes will include length of retention in the study, increase in physical activity level,
      and improvement in nutritional quality of diet. Effects of the CM intervention on psychiatric
      distress and self-efficacy and motivation to engage in activities that promote weight loss
      will also be assessed. We predict that participants in the CM condition will lose more weight
      than participants assigned to the LEARN program without CM, and that more CM participants
      will achieve clinically significant weight loss. We also predict that participants in the CM
      condition will remain in the program longer, show larger increases in physical activity, show
      greater improvements in diet quality, and have greater increases in levels of self-efficacy
      and motivation than comparison group participants. Mediators and moderators of CM outcomes
      will also be evaluated. If efficacious in promoting weight loss in a college population, CM
      could help to prevent or delay later development of obesity-related medical problems.
    


Intervention name(s): LEARN Program; Contingency Management
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Participants will receive weekly counseling based on the LEARN Program for Weight Management; Participants can earn chances to win prizes for losing weight and completing activities that promote weight loss.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Contingency Management; Weight Loss