ClinicalTrials.gg
Enrolling by invitationNCT07341841ORFUpdated Jan 14, 2026

Assessing Obesity Related Risk Factors in Adult Population: A Genetic and Behavioral Study

An interventional study of Diet and exercise and Lifestyle Intervention in Obesity Prevention, sponsored by Augusta University. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-14.

Sponsored by Augusta University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Screening

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
100
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study aims to explore the association between Melanocortin-4 Receptor (MC4R) polymorphisms, eating habits, and social determinants of health in a heterogeneous adult population in Georgia, USA.

Read the detailed description

The study has three aims.

Aim 1: Genotyping and Participant Stratification To assess the genetic variation of the MC4R gene in the Burke-Columbia-Richmond (BCR) population using Targeted DNA sequencing technology and stratify participants into genotype-based intervention groups (e.g., risk vs. non-risk variants). We anticipate seeing differences in MC4R gene polymorphisms within the BCR residents.

Aim 2: Genotype-Informed Lifestyle Intervention To evaluate the effects of an 8-week personalized dietary and physical activity intervention and association with the frequency distribution of the MC4R variants in the BCR using modified Diet History Questionnaire II (DHQ II) and bicycle ergometer, respectively. In addition, the association between body composition and the subject's age group will be measured using BOD POD instrument. We expect to find associations between food intake and the MC4R variants within the residents of the BCR area. We also expect to see the difference between age groups and the MC4R variant based on body composition.

Primary outcome: change in body composition, primarily body fat percentage Secondary outcomes: changes in dietary patterns, physical activity, and BMI

Aim 3: Socioeconomic and environmental factors To assess whether socio-economic status and environmental inequalities influence diet quality and obesity status of the BCR residents. Data will be collected through a structured questionnaire and secondary sources, such as the U.S. Census Bureau. We expect to find differences in the obesity profiles in the BCR adult population due to socio-economic and environmental inequalities. We hypothesize that the MC4R variants, socio-economic, and environmental inequalities are correlated with eating habits and obesity status within BCR residents.

02

Conditions studied

  • Obesity Prevention

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Keywords

  • MC4R, gene variant. obesity, diet
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 100 is above the median of 67 across 9,006 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.

Browse Obesity studies →

Lead sponsor

Augusta University is the lead sponsor of 180 studies on the registry; 24 are open to participants now.

Of its 10 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 3 (30%) have results posted.

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

Adults 18-70 years old are included in the study.

Target populations are 4 groups:

  • Group 1 - overweight (not obese), if is 25.0-29.9 Kg/m2;
  • Group 2 - Class 1 (lower-risk) obesity, if BMI is 30.0-34.9 Kg/m2;
  • Group 3 - Class 2 (moderate-risk) obesity, if BMI is 35-39.9 Kg/m2 and
  • Group 4 - Class 3 (high-risk) obesity, if BMI is equal or greater than 40 Kg/m2.

Males and females will participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Children younger than 18 years old and adults over 70 are excluded from the study. Non-English speakers and individuals with impaired decision-making capacity to consent are excluded from the study.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

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.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Screening
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
100 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Other
    Screening

    Diet and exercise baseline

    Behavioral: Diet and exercise · Behavioral: Lifestyle Intervention · Behavioral: Exercise

Interventions

  • BehavioralDiet and exercise

    Diet intervention: Participants will be randomly divided into a control group (n=50) and a training group (n=50) using the simplest method of assigning participants to different treatment groups: a coin toss. They will be surveyed using the modified DHII questionnaire to assess their caloric intake. The baseline calorie intake will be evaluated during the first visit. Participants will be instructed to reduce their portion sizes by half of what they typically consume. The commitment of participants will be for 8 weeks. Exercise intervention: In the first visit, subjects will be familiarized with exercise on a bicycle ergometer to eliminate the novel effects of a new experience. The subjects in the training group will then come to our laboratory to participate in an 8-week exercise program; the control group will not undergo training during this experimental period. The training group will train on a bicycle ergometer for 30 minutes, 3 days a week, for 8 weeks.

  • BehavioralLifestyle Intervention

    8-week personalized diet using a personalized low-calorie diet based on the caloric intake baseline using modified Diet History Questionnaire II (DHQ II)

  • BehavioralExercise

    8-week personalized physical activity- subjects will be doing 30-minute exercise three times a week using a bicycle ergometer

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Diet and exercise

    Calorie intake, BMI, % fat, % lean mass.

    Time frame: 8 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — This is a pilot study

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

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 Jan 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 11 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 11 months is below 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
Jun 13, 2025
First posted
Jan 14, 2026
StartActual
Jan 1, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Dec 1, 2026
CompletionEst.
Dec 1, 2026
Last update
Jan 14, 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 Jan 14, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07341841
Lead sponsor
Augusta University
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 14, 2026
Start date
Jan 1, 2026
Primary completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 1, 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Jan 14, 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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