ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05799846Updated Jul 15, 2026

Cognitive Strategies for Weight Loss

An interventional study of Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention and PREVENT Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention in Obesity, sponsored by The Miriam Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-15.

Sponsored by The Miriam Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Mar 2023; still recruiting 3 years 8 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
360
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare weight change and other related outcomes associated with three different behavioral weight loss interventions (STANDARD Behavioral, PREVENT, and PROMOTE) in adults with obesity. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Which of the three Internet-delivered weight loss programs results in the greatest weight loss?
  • How do key weight-related behaviors (e.g., adherence, diet, physical activity) differ across the arms?
  • What individual characteristics predict success in each arm?
  • What are the underlying mechanisms of each approach?
  • Are there any potential adverse outcomes associated with any of the conditions (e.g., depression, weight stigmatization, increased body image concerns).

Participants will:

  • signed informed consent
  • complete a baseline assessment
  • be randomized to 12 months of either Standard iBWL, PREVENT or PROMOTE
  • complete a training workshop to learn arm-specific cognitive strategies
  • complete a 12-month Internet-delivered weight loss program, requiring self-monitoring of intake and exercise and viewing of 12 weekly lessons followed by 9 monthly lessons
  • complete an assessment at 3 months (during treatment)
  • complete a refresher workshop on arm-specific cognitive strategies at 3 months
  • complete an assessment at 6 months (during treatment), 12 months (at the conclusion of treatment), and 18 months (6 months after treatment
02

Conditions studied

  • Obesity

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03

In context

Obesity

11,522 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 2,033 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 360 is above the median of 67 across 9,006 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.

Browse Obesity studies →

Lead sponsor

The Miriam Hospital is the lead sponsor of 182 studies on the registry; 15 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants will be between the ages of 18 and 70, have a between 25 and 45 kg/m2, and have regular (i.e., weekly) access to the Internet, defined as owning a smart phone with Internet capabilities, and/or having a broadband or Wi-Fi connection at home or work.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Exclusionary criteria include: 1) current enrollment in a weight loss program, 2) currently taking weight loss medications, 3) history of bariatric surgery or planned bariatric surgery in the next 18 months, 4) individuals who are pregnant, nursing, or have plans to become pregnant within the next 18 months, 5) individuals planning to relocate outside the area in the next 18 months, 6) any medical condition for which weight loss would be , 7) neurological or psychiatric conditions including but not limited to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, 8) inability to attend assessments at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center in Providence, RI.

Individuals with mobility issues, dizziness, or history of heart disease, diabetes, or cancer will be required to provide physician consent prior to enrolling.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
360 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    STANDARD Behavioral

    This is a 12-month Internet-delivered behavioral weight loss (iBWL) program that has been used in numerous studies and is currently considered our 'standard' treatment. Participants are asked to adhere to calorie and physical activity (PA) goals and are required to self-monitor weight, intake, and PA daily via a study website. Participants will have a training session prior to beginning iBWL to learn about the website and their specific weight-related goals. The iBWL includes 3 months of weekly video lessons teaching skills to modify eating and PA behaviors. These lessons and individualized feedback to participants incorporate key BWL strategies. Participants will then have a 'refresher' training session at 3 months to discuss standard behavioral weight loss strategies and help control for contact across arms. For the remainder of the program (months 4-12) participants will have monthly lessons, self-monitoring (tracking calories and PA 1 wk/month) and feedback.

    Behavioral: Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

  • Experimental
    PREVENT

    This is a 12-month Internet-delivered behavioral weight loss (iBWL) program in which participants are asked to adhere to calorie and physical activity (PA) goals and are required to self-monitor weight, intake, and PA daily via a study website. Additionally, PREVENT uses a future-oriented cognitive strategy featuring Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) to focus on long-term negative consequences of unhealthy choices. Participants will receive training in PREVENT strategies prior to beginning iBWL. The iBWL includes 3 months of weekly video lessons teaching skills to modify eating and PA behaviors. These lessons and individualized feedback to participants are framed according to PREVENT (i.e., focusing on avoiding long-term consequences of unhealthy choices) and include specific exercises and reminders to use the strategy. Participants will then have a 'refresher' training session at 3 months, followed by monthly lessons, self-monitoring (tracking calories and PA 1 wk/month) and feedback.

    Behavioral: PREVENT Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

  • Experimental
    PROMOTE

    This is a 12-month Internet-delivered behavioral weight loss (iBWL) program in which participants are asked to adhere to calorie and physical activity (PA) goals and are required to self-monitor weight, intake, and activity daily via a study website. Additionally, PROMOTE uses a future-oriented cognitive strategy featuring Episodic Future Thinking (EFT) to focus on long-term benefits of healthy choices. Participants will receive cognitive training in PROMOTE prior to beginning iBWL. The iBWL includes 3 months of weekly video lessons teaching skills to modify eating and activity behaviors. These lessons and individualized feedback to participants are framed according to PROMOTE (i.e., focusing on achieving long-term benefits of healthy choices) and include specific exercises and reminders to use the strategy. Participants will then have a 'refresher' training at 3 months, followed by monthly lessons, self-monitoring (tracking calories and PA 1 wk/month), and feedback.

    Behavioral: PROMOTE Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

Interventions

  • BehavioralStandard Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

    12-month online behavioral weight loss intervention

  • BehavioralPREVENT Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

    12-month online behavioral weight loss intervention focused on preventing future negative consequences of obesity

  • BehavioralPROMOTE Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention

    12-month online behavioral weight loss intervention focused on promoting future benefits of maintaining a healthy weight

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Percent Weight Change at 3 months

    Weight change is the primary outcome in this trial and will be calculated as change from baseline.

    Time frame: 3 months after randomization

  2. Percent Weight Change at 6 months

    Weight change is the primary outcome in this trial and will be calculated as change from baseline.

    Time frame: 6 months after randomization

  3. Percent Weight Change at 12 months

    Weight change is the primary outcome in this trial and will be calculated as change from baseline.

    Time frame: 12 months after randomization

  4. Percent Weight Change Post-Treatment

    Post-treatment weight change will be calculated as percent weight change observed at the 18 month assessment (6 months following treatment completion)

    Time frame: 18 months after randomization

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Actigraph-measured Physical Activity (PA)

    To address Secondary Aim 1, physical activity (PA) will be objectively-measured for 1 week at baseline, 3m, 12m, and 18m using ActigraphGT9X Link. Participants will be instructed to wear the accelerometer on their waist during all waking hours, exclusive of bathing and swimming, for 7 consecutive days. This monitor uses a validated triaxial accelerometer and proprietary data filtering technology to estimate free-living PA and sedentary behaviors. Accelerometer data will be processed and analyzed using Actigraph's ActiLife software. Data will be considered valid if the monitor was worn for more than 10 hours on more than 4 days (including one or more weekend day). Intensity will be assessed as average counts per minute (cpm) and previously validated cut points (Freedson et al., 1998) will be used to identify bout-related moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (greater than or equal to 1952 cpm accumulated in bouts greater than or equal to 10 min) and sedentary time (less than 100 cpm).

    Time frame: 12 months after randomization

  2. Change in Dietary Recall

    Diet will be measured through 3, non-consecutive 24-hour diet recalls at baseline, 3m, 12m, and 18m. Recalls will be collected on two weekdays and one weekend at each time point with the first recall collected during the in-person assessment and the subsequent two recalls collected via phone. A trained interviewer will collect recalls using Nutrition Data Systems for Research (NDSR 2018; Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota). NDSR uses a multipass method which provides participants multiple opportunities to recall each consumed food/beverage and reduces reporting biases. Given issues with use of dietary recalls to determine absolute energy intake, NDSR output will be used to examine changes in energy density and diet quality, as measured by the Healthy Eating Index, 2015 (HEI-2015). Component scores will highlight changes in intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins as well as calories from alcohol, added sugars and energy-dense snacks.

    Time frame: 12 months after randomization

  3. Intervention Adherence - lessons viewed

    Intervention adherence will be assessed automatically via the study website during the entire 12-month iBWL treatment program. Outcome measures will include number of website number of intervention videos viewed.

    Time frame: 12 months after randomization

  4. Intervention Adherence - self-monitoring

    Intervention adherence will be assessed automatically via the study website during the entire 12-month iBWL treatment program. Outcome measures will include number of website number of self-monitoring entries during the weight loss program.

    Time frame: 12 months after randomization

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center
    Providence, Rhode Island 02903, United States
    Recruiting
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Mar 2023 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Aug 2027, 53 months after the start.

Of 3,680 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Obesity, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 43. This study's planned 53 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 3,843 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 42.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Feb 28, 2023
First posted
Apr 5, 2023
StartActual
Mar 1, 2023
Primary completionEst.
Aug 31, 2027
CompletionEst.
Aug 31, 2027
Last update
Jul 15, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 15, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05799846
Responsible party
Kathryn E. Demos (Asst. Professor (Research), The Miriam Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 5, 2023
Start date
Mar 1, 2023
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 15, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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