The Weigh Forward, Financial Incentives for Maintenance of Weight Loss

NCT02538783 | Completed Results DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 8230051R01AG045045-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 259
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives in improving and maintaining weight loss.

Conditions

Obesity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Weight, Baseline and 6 Months

  Among participants who lost 5 kg or more of baseline weight prior to randomization, assess the effectiveness of escalating lottery rewards, relative to the control group, on maintenance of weight loss after 6 months of intervention

  6 months

• Change in Weight, 6 Months and 12 Months

  Among participants who lost 5 kg or more of baseline weight prior to randomization, assess the degree to which weight loss is maintained in the intervention groups relative to usual care during the 6 months following the cessation of the interventions

  12 months

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will receive weekly tips and weekly feedback for months 1-6 and will be observed without intervention in Phase II (months 7-12). The weekly feedback will pertain to whether or not the participant met his/her goal of weighing at least 6/7 days. The weekly tips will give information and suggestions on how to make it easier to weigh-in most days of the week. No financial incentive other than for the midpoint and end of study surveys will be given.

Escalating lottery

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive weekly tips and weekly feedback for months 1-6 and will be observed without intervention in Phase II (months 7-12). The weekly feedback will pertain to whether or not the participant met his/her goal of weighing at least 6/7 days. The weekly tips will give information and suggestions on how to make it easier to weigh-in most days of the week. In addition to the incentives for midpoint and end of study surveys, participants who meet their weekly goal (weighing in 6 of 7 days) will be eligible for the weekly lottery during the first 6 months of the study. The expected weekly winning for the lottery is $3.55 in week 1 and this expected value will increase by $0.43 per week for each week the participant achieves their goal of weighing 6/7 days. All incentive earnings will be paid out on a monthly basis.

Behavioral: Escalating Lottery

Interventions

Escalating Lottery BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the lottery arms will receive financial incentives as part of the intervention. See arm descriptions for more detail.

Escalating lottery

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 30 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults age 30-80
• BMI between 30 and 45 prior to starting Weight Watchers
• Have a documented weight loss of at least 5kg in the past 4-6 months before enrolling
• Stable health
• Have an online Weight Watchers membership

You may not qualify if:

• Substance abuse
• Bulimia nervosa or related behaviors
• Pregnancy or breast feeding
• Medical contraindications to counseling about diet, physical activity, or weight reduction
• Unstable mental illness
• Screen positive for pathological gambling on the basis of the 10 item DSM-IV criteria (excluded if meets 5 or more criteria)
• Individuals unable to read consent forms or fill out surveys in English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead
• Duke University: collaborator
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

Related Publications (19)

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• Office of the Surgeon General (US); Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); National Institutes of Health (US). The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. Rockville (MD): Office of the Surgeon General (US); 2001. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44206/

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  PMID: 17341711 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 8363212 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 9314754 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 15488364 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 9386201 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Catherine Reale
• Organization: UPenn

catherine.reale@uphs.upenn.edu

215-746-4009

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 31, 2015
• First Posted: September 2, 2015
• Study Start: May 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: November 13, 2017
• Study Completion: April 30, 2018
• Last Updated: January 14, 2019
• Results First Posted: January 14, 2019

Record last verified: 2018-08

Locations

US (1)