Pilot Trial of the Move Healthier Group

NCT07406568 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: STUDY02003218
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The researchers are developing a new exercise-focused group and are interested in studying whether this group helps people increase their exercise without increasing risk for disordered eating behaviors.

Conditions

Obesity; Overweight

Keywords

exercise; physical activity; disordered eating; eating disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Objective physical activity

  Objective physical activity will be measures as the total number of minutes per week of physical activity measured via Fitbit device worn during waking hours. The Fitbit data will yield a total count of the number of minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for each week during the intervention period, with higher counts indicating greater levels of activity.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks

• Self-reported physical activity

  Participants will also complete self-report measures of physical activity, including the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and IPAQ-short form at group sessions and study assessments. The IPAQ asks patients to report on their total physical activity engagement over the past 7 days by light, moderate, and vigorous activity categories. The IPAQ yields a total count of the number of minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity over the past week, with higher minutes indicating more activity.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks

• Eating disorder symptoms

  ED symptoms will be assessed via the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q 6.0), which asks about ED symptoms over the past month (28 days). Compensatory exercise engagement will be assessed via an item asking, "Over the past 28 days, how many times have you exercised to "make up for" a binge-eating episode, and compulsive exercise will be assessed using the item "...how many times have you felt driven/compelled to exercise?" EDE-Q items are averages to calculate a total score ranging from 0-6, with higher scores indicating higher levels of eating pathology.

  Baseline and post-intervention (week 12)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Weight bias internalization

  baseline and post-intervention (week 12)

• intervention acceptability

  post-intervention (week 12)

• intervention feasibility

  post-intervention (week 12)

Study Arms (1)

Move Healthier Group Intervention Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

This group-based intervention aims to promote healthy exercise without increasing risk for compensatory exercise or other disordered eating behaviors. Participants will attend 12 weekly 90-minute group intervention sessions via telehealth software.

Behavioral: Move Healthier Intervention

Interventions

Move Healthier Intervention BEHAVIORAL

The intervention aims to increase exercise using cognitive and behavioral skills integrated across several treatment manuals including the Physical Activity Cognitively Enhanced (PACE) intervention for healthy exercise promotion in eating disorders, acceptance-based and standard behavioral weight loss manuals, and affect-guided exercise prescriptions.

Move Healthier Group Intervention Arm

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Seen for weight loss treatment at DHMC Weight Center within the past year
• Speak, read, \& write English fluently
• Age 18 or older
• Appropriate for group visits (as assessed by referring provider)

You may not qualify if:

• Meets DSM-5 criteria for an eating disorder based on behavior frequencies reported on baseline EDE-Q
• Report contraindications for unsupervised physical activity on the PAR-Q, or have not been medically cleared by an MD for participation.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center: lead

Study Sites (1)

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinics

Lebanon, New Hampshire, 03766, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Overweight; Motor Activity; Feeding and Eating Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Jessica Salwen-Deremer, PhD

  Dartmouth Health

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Elizabeth Lampe, PhD

  Dartmouth Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Psychology Fellow, Weight Center

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2026
• First Posted: February 12, 2026
• Study Start: April 16, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 30, 2026
• Last Updated: April 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)