An interventional study of Weight Loss Plus Cooking and Traditional Weight Loss in Intellectual Disability and Overweight and Obesity, sponsored by University of Kansas Medical Center. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 35 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-11.
Sponsored by University of Kansas Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The goal of this study is to see if adding hands-on cooking classes to a weight management program (called Chef-ID) helps young adults with intellectual disabilities lose more weight and keep it off compared to a standard weight loss program. The study will last 24 months and include three phases: 6 months of active support, 12 months of maintenance, and 6 months with no contact.
The investigators will look at how much weight participants lose over the first 18 months. Changes in cooking skills, body fat, health markers (like blood pressure and cholesterol), daily living skills, and caregiver stress will be tracked. Finally, factors that might help or prevent weight loss, and how changes in weight and body fat are linked to overall health will be explored.
This research will help inform on how to better support healthy lifestyles for people with intellectual disabilities.
This study will compare two different approaches to long-term weight loss in young adults (ages 18-30) with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities. One group will follow a traditional weight loss program (called eSLD), while the other will follow the same program plus take part in in-person cooking classes (called eSLD+Chef-ID). A total of 114 participants will be randomly assigned by computer to one of the two groups for a 24-month study, which includes 6 months of active support, 12 months of follow-up, and 6 months with no contact.
All participants will follow a simple diet called the "enhanced stoplight diet" and try to get at least 120 minutes of aerobic exercise and 30 minutes of strength training each week. Participants be given an iPad® with pre-recorded exercise videos, a wearable fitness tracker, and will have monthly Zoom check-ins with a health coach for 18 months.
Those in the eSLD+Chef-ID group will also attend fun, hands-on cooking classes twice a month during the first 6 months and once a month from months 7-18. Participants in the traditional eSLD group will receive short motivational video messages from their coach instead of cooking classes.
Weight will be measured at the beginning, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Other health measures like cooking skills, body fat, blood pressure, and caregiver stress will also be collected during lab and home visits. The goal is to find out whether learning to cook helps improve long-term weight loss and overall health in this community.
387 studies on the registry are indexed under Intellectual Disability; 105 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 114 is above the median of 58 across 248 interventional studies indexed under Intellectual Disability.
Browse Intellectual Disability studies →University of Kansas Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 492 studies on the registry; 110 are open to participants now.
Of its 38 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 24 (63%) have results posted.
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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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Behavioral: Weight Loss Plus Cooking
Behavioral: Traditional Weight Loss
Participants in the eSLD+Chef-ID group will follow a healthy eating plan using the enhanced stoplight diet, meet with a health coach once a month on Zoom® using an iPad®, and aim to get 120 minutes of aerobic activity and 30 minutes of strength exercises each week. In addition, they will attend in-person cooking classes-twice a month during the first 6 months and once a month for the next 12 months. In these 60-minute classes, instructors will teach cooking skills, and participants will practice on their own or with a partner, depending on their comfort level. They will learn how to safely use kitchen tools and appliances (like ovens, blenders, knives, and measuring cups) and prepare simple meals or snacks.
Also known as: eSLD+Chef-ID
Participants in the eSLD group will follow a healthy eating plan using the enhanced stoplight diet, meet once a month with a health coach on Zoom® using an iPad®, and aim to get 120 minutes of aerobic activity and 30 minutes of strength exercises each week. They will also receive short (2-minute) video messages from their coach-twice a month during the first 6 months and once a month after that. These videos will include feedback on their progress, reminders about their goals, and tips to help them stay on track with healthy eating and exercise.
Also known as: eSLD
Weight Loss Between Arms
Weight will be measured in duplicate on a calibrated scale after an overnight fast during a laboratory visit at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 mos.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Changes in Weight
Weight will be measured in duplicate on a calibrated scale during a laboratory visit after an overnight fast at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 mos and during a home visit at 24 mos.
Time frame: Baseline to 24 months
Activities of Daily Living
Activities of Daily Living will be assessed using the 17-item Waisman Activities of Daily Living survey, which was specifically developed for and validated in adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities. Scores range from 0 to 34, with a higher score indicating increased independence.
Time frame: Baseline to 24 months
Caregiver Strain
Caregiver strain will be assessed using the Modified Caregiver Strain Index which measures caregivers' levels of strain, a combination of stress and burden. The index assesses 13 aspects of physical health, family finances, social interactions, time demands, and employment. Scores range from 0 to 26, with a higher score indicating increased caregiver strain.
Time frame: Baseline to 24 months
Fat Mass
Body composition will be assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA -Prodigy Advance Plus, GE, Madison WI). Pregnancy testing will be completed by all females prior to each DXA test. All participants will wear a hospital gown during DXA scans to standardize clothing.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Fat-free Mass
Body composition will be assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA -Prodigy Advance Plus, GE, Madison WI). Pregnancy testing will be completed by all females prior to each DXA test. All participants will wear a hospital gown during DXA scans to standardize clothing.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Percent Body Fat
Body composition will be assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA -Prodigy Advance Plus, GE, Madison WI). Pregnancy testing will be completed by all females prior to each DXA test. All participants will wear a hospital gown during DXA scans to standardize clothing.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
High-density Lipoprotein (HDL)
Whole blood will be drawn by a trained phlebotomist following a minimum 12-hr. fast and sent to The University of Kansas Health Systems for analysis.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Whole blood will be drawn by a trained phlebotomist following a minimum 12-hr. fast and sent to The University of Kansas Health Systems for analysis.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Fasting Glucose
Whole blood will be drawn by a trained phlebotomist following a minimum 12-hr. fast and sent to The University of Kansas Health Systems for analysis.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
Whole blood will be drawn by a trained phlebotomist following a minimum 12-hr. fast and sent to The University of Kansas Health Systems for analysis.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Resting Blood Pressure
Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured on the non-dominant arm with participants seated in a chair and both feet flat on the ground.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Cooking Skills
Cooking skills will be assessed using the Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS): Independent Living Skills. Scores range from 48 to 336, with a lower score indicating increased independence.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Skin Carotenoid Content
We will assess skin carotenoid content with a finger scan using the Veggie Meter (Longevity Link Corporation), as biomarker of fruit and vegetables intake.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Dietary Intake
Dietary intake will be assessed using the NHANES Dietary Screener Questionnaire which is a 26 item questionnaire that asks about the past months consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy, added sugars, whole grains, red meat and processed meat. Based on the self-reported consumption, values for average daily intake are provided.
Time frame: Baseline to 18 months
Plan to share: No
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