Predictors of Behavioral Obesity Treatment Outcomes
Who can join
As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.
- Age
- 18 Years and older
- Sex
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Compensation
- Not stated
Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.
What to expect
No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.
What participation involves
Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.
- Compensation
- Not stated
- Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
- Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
- Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
- Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.
About this study
In plain language
This study looks at why people with fewer social and financial resources may lose less weight in programs that help change daily habits. It studies how hard daily experiences and focusing on rewards now rather than later affect weight loss. It is for adults with obesity who fit the study’s lower or higher social and economic group.
Socioceconomically disadvantaged individuals typically have poor outcomes in behavioral weight loss interventions, but the reasons for this are unknown. This project will characterize the mechanisms through which adverse daily experiences and present bias -- a cognitive adaptation to harsh and unpredictable environments -- account for disparities in weight loss outcomes.
Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.
Eligibility
Who can join
- Age 18 or older.
- Have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. BMI is a measure of weight compared with height.
- Meet the study’s rules for either the lower or higher social and economic group.
Who can't join
- Not fluent in English.
- Have a change in income or financial assets in the past 12 months, or expect one in the next 6 months, that would change your study group. The change must be more than 75% of the federal poverty guideline amount, up or down.
- Have had or plan to have weight loss surgery, or are taking part in another weight loss treatment, including medicines or programs to change habits.
- Live more than 20 miles from Rush, or plan to move outside that area during the study.
- Have a BMI of 60 or higher, because of a higher risk of injury during exercise.
- Do not have reliable access to a cell phone or landline.
- Have a condition that makes treatment unsafe, such as osteoporosis (weak bones), problems with thinking or memory based on a test score of 25 or lower, or current substance misuse found by a screening test.
- Do not have a doctor’s approval to join, or have a serious illness such as stage 3 or 4 heart failure, cancer, or kidney failure.
Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.
Official eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥18 years old 2. Obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) 3. Meets criteria for either the lower SES or higher SES cohort Exclusion Criteria: 1. Not fluent in English 2. Change in income or financial assets exceeding ±75% of federal poverty guideline within the past 12 months, or expected in the next 6 months, if this change would result in reclassification on SES. 3. Previous or planned bariatric surgery, or concurrent engagement in other behavioral or pharmacological treatment for obesity 4. Resides more than 20 miles away from Rush, or planning to move outside of this geographic area during the study period 5. Body mass index ≥60 kg/m2, due to increased injury risk with exercise 6. History of bariatric surgery, or current engagement in another weight loss therapy 7. Lack of reliable access to cell or landline phone 8. Medical contraindications to treatment, including osteoporosis, cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment ≤25), active substance abuse based on the World Health Organization's ASSIST screener, lack of physician clearance for participation, or serious medical illness (e.g., stage 3 or 4 heart failure, cancer, renal failure, etc.)
Study sites (1)
IL
- Rush University Medical Center · Chicago, IL 60612Michele Li, MS, RD · Study contact · 312-942-8260Bradley M Appelhans, PhD · Principal investigatorMore trials in Chicago