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A Pilot Study of a Lifestyle Intervention on the Metabolic Syndrome (3ELM Study)

A Pilot Study of a Lifestyle Intervention on the Metabolic Syndrome

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02233088
Acronym
3ELM
Enrollment
48
Registered
2014-09-08
Start date
2013-09-20
Completion date
2021-12-31
Last updated
2023-01-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Metabolic Syndrome

Keywords

Prediabetic State, Hypertension, Enlarged Waist Elevated Triglycerides, HDL Cholesterol, Low Serum

Brief summary

Approximately 24% of the US adult population meet criteria for metabolic syndrome (MetS), diagnosed by a combination of abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, high triglyceride and low HDL-cholesterol level, and pre-diabetes. MetS quintuples the risk of diabetes, and doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly heart failure. Lifestyle modification is the initial step of treatment, but few studies have demonstrated early and sustained efficacy in remission of MetS. Our preliminary studies of a lifestyle change program for patients with MetS included a 1-year of development of an intervention by an interdisciplinary team of experts in medicine and the behavioral sciences. The investigators then tested the efficacy of the intervention in a treatment-only, proof-of-concept study. The investigators achieved our goal of 50% MetS remission after 2 years, in a sample of 26 patients. This study is the second step of a research program testing an innovative bio-behavioral intervention aimed at remitting MetS through lifestyle intervention, by focusing on eating patterns, daily activity, and stress management. The overarching objective of this research program is to determine the efficacy of the ELM lifestyle intervention to achieve remission of MetS. This purpose of the current study is to prepare for a large, randomized, clinical trial by conducting a smaller clinical trial that examines the acceptability of the ELM intervention (ELM Group) as compared to two other intervention arms (ELM Classes, ELM Individual).

Detailed description

The 3ELM (Eat, Love, Move) study recruits 48 patients with MetS, and provides a 6-month intervention that aims to remit MetS by promoting the long-term adoption of healthier behaviors (diet, physical activity, stress reduction). Participants in 3ELM are randomly assigned to one of the study arms (ELM Groups, ELM Classes, ELM Individual); all of which receive some type of intervention in either group, class, or individual formats. The primary aim of this project is to pilot test the acceptability of each of the study arms and the outcome measures. The study also includes outcome assessments at 3 time points: at the start of the study, and at 3, and 6 months post baseline. All study participants will receive medical care (including metabolic syndrome care) from their regular medical doctors. Study staff will track participants' use of health care and wellness services during the study after obtaining participant permission to collect this data.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALELM Group

ELM participants are trained to portion their meals according to the Perfect Plate method, a modified version of the USDA's ChooseMyPlate.gov. The stress management focuses on mindful living, cognitive restructuring; the enhancement of positive emotions. The physical activity component focuses on reduction of sedentary activity (by increasing daily step counts) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

OTHERELM Classes

ELM classes will be administered through Rush Generations program and focus on health education.

OTHERELM Individual

ELM Individual arm participants will receive education materials on metabolic syndrome and diet, exercise, stress reduction recommendations. The participants will be recommended to follow these guidelines and discuss/seek support from their health care provider (visits at baseline, 3 and 6 months will be recommended.

Sponsors

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
CollaboratorNIH
Rush University Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 72 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Men and women age 18-72 years (children and the elderly need age-specific lifestyle tailoring). * Able to walk 2 blocks (the patients should be able to engage in moderate intensity exercise). * Have preference for making lifestyle changes to treat MetS. * Able to participate in a lifestyle intervention for 6 months. * Meet at least 3 Metabolic syndrome criteria: abdominal obesity (waist girth \>102♂/88♀ cm), high blood pressure (≥130/85 mm Hg or treatment), triglyceridemia (≥150 mg/dL or fibrate therapy), low HDL-cholesterol (\<40♂/50♀ mg/dL or niacin therapy) or fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL (or pre-diabetes).

Exclusion criteria

* Substance abuse within the past 12 months: alcohol use, current daily smokers (self-report); and illicit drug use. * Weight loss, exceeding 10% of initial weight, in the past 6 months or current use of medications for weight loss, bowel resection surgery, bariatric surgery, eating disorder. * Other medical or behavioral limitations judged to interfere with study participation or the ability to follow study procedures (eg, scheduled surgery, travel plans or scheduling difficulties that do not permit full participation), limited English language, cognitive impairment, pregnancy, or psychiatric comorbidities (such as severe major depression, or psychotic disorders).

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
metabolic syndrome remission, defined as <3 of the 5 standard diagnostic criteria.6-month changemetabolic syndrome remission will be assessed by measurement of waist girth, blood pressure, fasting serum lipid and glucose levels, and the number of medications to treat blood pressure.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
AccelerometryAt baseline and 6 monthsAccelerometry (Actigraph) is the gold standard objective method for daily activity data collection. Standard methods for equipment programming and data reduction, supplemented by activity and sleep log will be used to calculate minutes/week of moderate/vigorous activity, sedentary activity, sleep, and accelerometer step counts.
International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)At baseline and 6 monthsMeasures engagement in physical activity
Perceived Stress ScaleAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsa 10-item questionnaire that measures stress
WeightAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsWeight will be measured using stationary scale per standardized protocol.
Nutrition intakeBaseline, and 6 monthsHealthy Eating Index (HEI-2010) will be computed using data from 24-h dietary recalls, conducted on nonconsecutive days, including one weekend day, using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR).128 The HEI-2010 is a quantifiable method of assessing the adherence to Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Credibility and expectancies questionnaire (CEQ)At baseline, 3, and 6 monthsA 4-item questionnaire measures participants acceptability ratings - specifically whether they think the treatments are credible and if they think they will help them with their health goals.
Vitality IndexAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthswill be tracked using a 4 item subscale of Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 36-Item Short Form Health survey that measures perceived energy and fatigue within the last 30 days.
Continuous metabolic syndrome scoreAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthscalculated as a sum of z-scores of the individual 5 MetS components using reported methodology from other clinical trials. This MetS research tool has methodological advantage accounting for severity of MetS.
A1cAt baseline and 6 monthsA plasma sample will be collected to measure HbA1c.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
General QuestionnaireAt baseline, updated at 3, and 6 monthsMeasures basic sociodemographic characteristics.
Weight history and experiences with wellness/weight management programsAt baseline, and updated at 3 and 6 monthsCaptures weight fluctuations and participation in commercial or health care based wellness or weight loss programs
Treatment modality preferences and willingnessAt baseline and 6 monthsCaptures participant preferences for lifestyle, medication, and surgical treatment modalities.
Medication questionnaireAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsThe list of medications with dose and frequency of administration will be collected using a standardized questionnaire.
Time horizonAt baseline and 6 monthsAssesses executive function
Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Cognition questionnaireAt baseline and 6 monthsmeasures cognitive/executive function.
Perceived lifestyle change for physical activity and dietAt 3 and 6 monthsCaptures participant's self-assessment of effort-related to lifestyle changes.
Beliefs about medicationsAt baselineCaptures participant's beliefs about the usefulness and safety of medications.
Brief COPEAt baseline, and 6 monthsmeasures coping of stressors
Daily Hassles QuestionnaireAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsmeasures primary and secondary appraisal of stressors.
Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ)At baseline, and 6 monthsMeasures disordered eating patterns.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)At baseline, 3, and 6 monthsMeasures depressive symptoms
Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ for eating and physical activity)At baseline, 3, and 6 monthsMeasures self-regulation abilities for eating and physical activity
Work Productivity and Activity Impairment QuestionnaireAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsmeasures lost productivity in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism.
Use of wellness, health, and preventive servicesAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsWil be used for cost analysis.
Perceived environment (food and exercise)At baselinemeasures the built and food environment
Global health scaleAt baseline, 3, and 6 monthsSelf-assessment of overall health.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026