Helping Employees Lose Pounds

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study will evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives and messaging tailored to individual goals and aspirations to promote and sustain weight loss. This is a 2-arm randomized controlled trial that will recruit eligible employees at a large university to participate in a 3-month weight loss program, followed by a 3-month follow-up period. The primary outcome will be change in autonomous motivation for weight loss. The study hypothesis is that intervention group participants will have a greater increase in autonomous motivation for weight loss than participants in the control group at 12 weeks.

Official Title
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Translating Insights From Behavioral Economics and Self-Determination Theory to Promote Sustained Weight Loss Among Obese Employees

Conditions
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Weight Loss

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Weekly Incentive


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Interested in losing weight Body Mass Index between 30 and 40 kg/m2 Have wireless internet at home Have Android or iOS smart device Willing to record themselves weighing in on a scale or let a family member record them weighing in on a scale Exclusion Criteria: Pregnant or lactating, or intending to become pregnant in the next 6 months Taking medication (other than metformin) for diabetes to control blood sugar Having a serious psychiatric diagnosis, unstable medical conditions or experienced a heart attack or stroke in the past 6 months Having a history of drug or alcohol abuse or addiction to prescription medications

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 70 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Weekly Incentive<br>Participants in the Weekly Incentive arm will be asked to weigh in each week during a 12 week intervention period. They will receive tailored messages and have an opportunity to win a financial reward each week they meet their weight loss goal. Participants will be asked to complete a final weight measurement at week 24. | Behavioral: Weekly Incentive<br>* The tailored incentives intervention aims to assess the impact of tailored messaging and financial incentives on weight loss among obese employees.<br>|
| No Intervention: Weekly Weigh-In<br>Participants in the Weekly Weigh-In arm will be asked to weigh in each week during a 12 week intervention period. Participants will be asked to complete a final weight measurement at week 24. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in autonomous motivation as measured by the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire |  | 12 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in weight as measured by participant weight measurements using Withings scales |  | 12 weeks and 24 weeks |