Obesity
Conditions
Keywords
obesity, weight loss, internet treatment, motivational interviewing
Brief summary
Internet-based weight control programs have been shown effective in producing weight loss, but in-person delivery of behavioral weight control produces significantly greater weight loss than on-line delivery of the same program. Motivational Interviewing has been shown to increase weight loss when delivered as an adjunct to in-person weight loss programs but has not been examined in conjunction with web-based obesity treatment. Therefore, the overall goal of this project is to determine if the addition of on-line Motivational Interviewing to a web-based group behavioral obesity treatment program will augment weight loss outcomes.
Detailed description
This randomized controlled trial is designed to determine whether weight losses in a group behavioral weight loss intervention conducted over the Internet are increased with the inclusion of individual, online MI sessions. All participants will receive the same online 6-month group-based behavioral weight loss program followed by 12 months of weight maintenance. Overweight and obese adults at two study sties (N=426) will be randomized to (1) Internet intervention; or 2) Internet intervention with individual MI sessions occurring at three month intervals on a fixed schedule (Internet+MI-Fixed). Assessments will be conducted every six months and will include measures of body weight and height, diet and exercise behaviors, Quality of Life, adherence measures (eg., attendance, compliance with self-monitoring), social influence components, motivation, treatment satisfaction, demographic data and descriptive information regarding use of website components. A third arm was added for the final 3 intervention cohorts. All participants received the program as described above with the addition of motivational interviewing contingent on participants' attendance in classes.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALInternet Obesity Treatment
Participants will engage in self monitoring, will receive skills training to help cope with environmental triggers, and will receive nutrition advice.
BEHAVIORALInternet Obesity Treatment with MI
In addition to weekly group meetings, self-monitoring through recording calorie and fat intake daily as well as exercise, participants will meet one-on-one with an MI counselor on-line in order to augment an individual's motivation to change behavior.
BEHAVIORALContingent MI
Participants will attend weekly behavioral internet meetings. They may or may not receive Motivational Interviewing depending on their class attendance.
Sponsors
University of Arkansas
University of Vermont
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* must be over 18 * must have a BMI between 18 and 50 * must live within 60 minutes driving distance of University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR, or University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont * must be able to walk for exercise
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Body Weight | 6 months | Weights will be taken in street clothes without shoes using a hospital quality digital floor model scale. |
| Change in body weight | 0 | Weights will be taken in street clothes without shoes using a hospital quality digital floor model scale. Height will be taken at baseline using a wall-mounted stadiometer and BMI will be calculated as weight (kg)/height(m2) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adherence to Treatment Components | 6 months | Items will include attendance at chat group meetings and completion of online food diaries and exercise records. |
| Motivation Measures | 0 | We will assess participant motivation for participating in a weight reduction program and adhering to the program. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed