ObesityPhase 1/2NCT00739492
Testing Strategies for Weight Loss, II
A Phase 1/2 study testing financial incentives in people with Obesity, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
In the pilot study, Testing Strategies for Weight Loss, we tested two different approaches using financial incentives to encourage weight loss. In the first, we built on previous work showing the effectiveness of 'deposit contracts', in which subjects are given the opportunity to put their own money at risk if they do… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 30 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Obesity
- What is being tested?
- financial incentives
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 66 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jun 2008to Jan 2010
- Phase
- Phase 1/2
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 30 to 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- BMI between 30-40;
- Age between 30-70;
- At least moderately interested in losing weight (Self-reported 3,4, or 5 on 5 point scale)
Who cannot join
- Unstable medical conditions that would likely prevent the subject from completing the study;
- Myocardial infarction within 6 months;
- Uncontrolled hypertension, defined as BP>170 mm Hg systolic or BP>110 mm Hg diastolic;
- Diabetic using any medicine besides metformin to control blood sugars
- Metastatic cancer;
- Self-report of 6 or more alcoholic beverages per day;
Show all 13Show fewer
- Severe depression;
- Active substance abuse;
- Schizophrenia
- Inability to read or severe cognitive deficits that would preclude ability to read consent form or fill out surveys).
- Participation in another research study unless copy of consent form obtained and screened for possible confounding of results.
- Those currently enrolled in a weight loss program elsewhere.
- Pregnant women
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
In the pilot study, Testing Strategies for Weight Loss, we tested two different approaches using financial incentives to encourage weight loss. In the first, we built on previous work showing the effectiveness of 'deposit contracts', in which subjects are given the opportunity to put their own money at risk if they do not lose weight. In this incentive condition, subjects received a direct payment conditional on daily weight loss, and an optional additional payment based on their own contributions to the deposit contract. We matched their contribution 1:1 to make the option of depositing their own money attractive to this predominantly low SES population. In the second approach we built on our own prior work using lotteries to promote drug adherence. In this incentive condition, participants are entered into a daily lottery, and receive any payoffs they earn from the lottery only if they stay on track with their weight-loss goal. Given their popularity in the general population, lotteries hold the promise of providing a cost-effective means of motivating weight loss and making efforts to lose weight more salient to obese patients. Results from this trial indicate significantly higher weight loss in the incentive arms of the trial than in the control group. The low lost to follow-up rates suggest that this approach to providing daily feedback to keep weight loss salient among participants is feasible. Incentive participants who completed the study called in their daily weights an average 95.8% of the time. 17/19 (89.4%) of subjects deposited money in their deposit contracts and 14/17 participants who made initial deposits either held constant or increased their contributions each month. Subjects in both incentive groups lost significantly more weight on average than subjects in the control group (4.0 lbs) (lottery 13.1 lbs, p = 0.015; deposit contract 14.0 lbs, p = 0.003). Of the subjects not lost to follow-up in the two incentive arms (32 out of 38), all of them lost weight.
Based on this promising preliminary evidence and supplemental funding from the Hewlett Foundation, we propose an 8-month study with 2 intervention arms to further examine the effect of incentives on long term weight loss success. This study will build on the work to date to examine which intervention is most successful in promoting sustained weight loss. The proposed 3-arm extension will enroll 66 participants from Philadelphia VA with BMIs between 30 and 40, starting with those potential participants who were placed on a waiting list for our previous study after an overwhelming response to the initial mailing.
Read the detailed description
The proposed study, a 3-arm randomized control trial (RCT), would be tested with 66 patients at Philadelphia VA with BMIs between 30 and 40. Participants in the control group would receive usual care from their providers and monthly weigh ins. Participants in the incentive conditions will receive daily monitoring of their weights for 32 weeks, plus a package of financial incentives if they lose weight. Incentive group subjects will be given a weight loss target of 24 lbs in the first 24 weeks and will be able to choose a weight loss goal of 0, 0.5, or 1 lb per week for the final two months of the study. Financial incentives in the first deposit contract condition will consist of a potential payment for every day they are under their target weight which consists of the prorated daily amount of their deposit contract plus an equal 1:1 match provided by the study team for the first 6 months framed as 'weight loss period' and then for 2 months framed as 'maintenance of weight loss'. In the second deposit condition, the incentive consists of 8 months of the prorated daily amount of their deposit contract plus a 1:1 match (without the framing of 'weight loss' vs 'maintenance of weight loss'). We will have 80% power to find a 5 kg difference in weight loss between the intervention and control groups. Subjects who lose more than 20 pounds in either of the intervention groups will be eligible for an additional incentive.
The proposed interventions will serve as the basis for a larger-scale intervention study of incentives for weight loss and maintenance that has the potential to substantially reduce the health burden of obesity among veterans.
- Conditions
- Obesity
- Being tested
- financial incentives
- Keywords
- weight loss, obesity, financial incentives
- Medical subject headings
- Obesity, Weight Loss
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
financial incentivesBehavioural
financial incentives based on attaining weight loss goals
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Active comparator | deposit based incentive Receives: Behavioral: financial incentives |
| 2 | Active comparator | deposit based incentive framed with "maintenance" period Receives: Behavioral: financial incentives |
| 3 | No intervention | Control arm, no financial incentive |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
actual weight loss
Measured: eight months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted21 Aug 2008 (estimated)
- Study startJun 2008
- Primary completionJun 2009
- Study completionJan 2010
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ObesityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of PennsylvaniaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 1/2
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 66 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Pennsylvania
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Kevin Volpp, MD PhD, Principal investigator, Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00739492
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 01074
- Status last verified
- Dec 2016
- First submitted
- 20 May 2008
- Last updated
- 6 Dec 2016
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Dec 2016. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing Strategies for Weight Loss, II
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00739492
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 01074
- Conditions
- Obesity
- Keywords
- weight loss, obesity, financial incentives
- Phase
- Phase 1/2
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 66 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of PennsylvaniaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Study start
- Jun 2008
- Primary completion
- Jun 2009 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jan 2010 (actual)
- First posted
- 21 Aug 2008 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
In the pilot study, Testing Strategies for Weight Loss, we tested two different approaches using financial incentives to encourage weight loss. In the first, we built on previous work showing the effectiveness of 'deposit contracts', in which subjects are given the opportunity to put their own money at risk if they do not lose weight. In this incentive condition, subjects received a direct payment conditional on daily weight loss, and an optional additional payment based on their own contributions to the deposit contract. We matched their contribution 1:1 to make the option of depositing their own money attractive to this predominantly low SES population. In the second approach we built on our own prior work using lotteries to promote drug adherence. In this incentive condition, participants are entered into a daily lottery, and receive any payoffs they earn from the lottery only if they stay on track with their weight-loss goal. Given their popularity in the general population, lotteries hold the promise of providing a cost-effective means of motivating weight loss and making efforts to lose weight more salient to obese patients. Results from this trial indicate significantly higher weight loss in the incentive arms of the trial than in the control group. The low lost to follow-up rates suggest that this approach to providing daily feedback to keep weight loss salient among participants is feasible. Incentive participants who completed the study called in their daily weights an average 95.8% of the time. 17/19 (89.4%) of subjects deposited money in their deposit contracts and 14/17 participants who made initial deposits either held constant or increased their contributions each month. Subjects in both incentive groups lost significantly more weight on average than subjects in the control group (4.0 lbs) (lottery 13.1 lbs, p = 0.015; deposit contract 14.0 lbs, p = 0.003). Of the subjects not lost to follow-up in the two incentive arms (32 out of 38), all of them lost weight.
Based on this promising preliminary evidence and supplemental funding from the Hewlett Foundation, we propose an 8-month study with 2 intervention arms to further examine the effect of incentives on long term weight loss success. This study will build on the work to date to examine which intervention is most successful in promoting sustained weight loss. The proposed 3-arm extension will enroll 66 participants from Philadelphia VA with BMIs between 30 and 40, starting with those potential participants who were placed on a waiting list for our previous study after an overwhelming response to the initial mailing.
Detailed description
The proposed study, a 3-arm randomized control trial (RCT), would be tested with 66 patients at Philadelphia VA with BMIs between 30 and 40. Participants in the control group would receive usual care from their providers and monthly weigh ins. Participants in the incentive conditions will receive daily monitoring of their weights for 32 weeks, plus a package of financial incentives if they lose weight. Incentive group subjects will be given a weight loss target of 24 lbs in the first 24 weeks and will be able to choose a weight loss goal of 0, 0.5, or 1 lb per week for the final two months of the study. Financial incentives in the first deposit contract condition will consist of a potential payment for every day they are under their target weight which consists of the prorated daily amount of their deposit contract plus an equal 1:1 match provided by the study team for the first 6 months framed as 'weight loss period' and then for 2 months framed as 'maintenance of weight loss'. In the second deposit condition, the incentive consists of 8 months of the prorated daily amount of their deposit contract plus a 1:1 match (without the framing of 'weight loss' vs 'maintenance of weight loss'). We will have 80% power to find a 5 kg difference in weight loss between the intervention and control groups. Subjects who lose more than 20 pounds in either of the intervention groups will be eligible for an additional incentive.
The proposed interventions will serve as the basis for a larger-scale intervention study of incentives for weight loss and maintenance that has the potential to substantially reduce the health burden of obesity among veterans.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Active comparator | Behavioral: financial incentivesdeposit based incentive |
| 2 | Active comparator | Behavioral: financial incentivesdeposit based incentive framed with "maintenance" period |
| 3 | No intervention | –Control arm, no financial incentive |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 30 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- BMI between 30-40;
- Age between 30-70;
- At least moderately interested in losing weight (Self-reported 3,4, or 5 on 5 point scale)
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- Unstable medical conditions that would likely prevent the subject from completing the study;
- Myocardial infarction within 6 months;
- Uncontrolled hypertension, defined as BP>170 mm Hg systolic or BP>110 mm Hg diastolic;
- Diabetic using any medicine besides metformin to control blood sugars
- Metastatic cancer;
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| financial incentivesfinancial incentives based on attaining weight loss goals | Behavioural | 1, 2 |
Primary outcome
actual weight loss
Time frame: eight months
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Dec 2016.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Kevin Volpp, MD PhD principal investigator
Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 1/2 study testing financial incentives in people with Obesity, run by University of Pennsylvania at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Dec 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this combined phase mean?
Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.
Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
actual weight loss (time frame: eight months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Dec 2016.