ObesityActivateNCT04337619
Project Activate: Mindfulness and Acceptance Based Behavioral Treatment for Weight Loss
A study testing Behavioral Treatment, Willingness and Values in people with Obesity and Weight Loss, run by Drexel University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Mindfulness and Acceptance based Behavioral Therapies (MABTs) are among the most promising behavioral approaches for obesity, with two recent large trials showing that they achieve better initial weight loss and/or better weight loss maintenance than does gold standard behavioral weight loss treatment (BT). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 70 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Obesity, Weight Loss
- What is being tested?
- Behavioral Treatment, Willingness and Values
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 276 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Aug 2019to 7 Nov 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 18 to 70 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Individuals must be of overweight or obese BMI (27-50 kg/m2)
- Individuals must be adults (aged 18-70)
- Completion of a 3-day food diary
- Completion of baseline assessment tasks
- Willingness to lose weight, be physically active, and participate in-group sessions.
- Participants must also provide consent for the research team to contact their personal physician if necessary to provide clearance or to consult about rapid weight gain.
Who cannot join
- Inability to engage in physical activity (defined as walking a city block without stopping)
- Medical or psychiatric condition that may pose a risk to the participant during intervention, cause a change in weight, or limit ability to comply with the program
- Recently began or changed the dose of a medication that can cause significant change in weight
- History of bariatric surgery; weight loss of > 5% in the previous 3 months
- Currently pregnant or breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant
- Planning to, or participating in, another weight loss treatment in the next 3 years.
- Engaging in compensatory vomiting, other severe compensatory behaviors, or more than 12 of any compensatory behavior in the previous 3 months
- Experiencing significant loss of control eating (9 or more binge episodes in the previous 3 months)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Drexel University Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Official title: Mindfulness and Acceptance Based Behavioral Treatment for Weight Loss
Mindfulness and Acceptance based Behavioral Therapies (MABTs) are among the most promising behavioral approaches for obesity, with two recent large trials showing that they achieve better initial weight loss and/or better weight loss maintenance than does gold standard behavioral weight loss treatment (BT). However, results vary, potentially due to inconsistencies in how MABT components are utilized and emphasized. Optimizing MABTs using a typical approach, i.e., successive randomized controlled trials of various MABT packages, is slow and difficult. Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) has been developed as a better method of optimizing treatment. Consistent with Phase I of MOST, we derived three MABT components from the theoretical literature. Evaluation of MABT components through a factorial design (MOST Phase II) will allow us to determine the independent and interacting efficacies of each MABT component, in addition to the identification of subsets of individuals most or least responsive to each component. Whereas mediational analyses have been inconclusive, the use of a factorial design will allow for a critical test of the main and interaction effects of individual MABT treatment components. The current study will use a full factorial design to identify the independent and combined effects of three core MABT components (Awareness, Acceptance, and Values Clarity) as additions to remotely delivered weight loss counseling. Moderators of treatment outcome (disinhibited eating, food cue susceptibility, emotional eating, delay discounting, and inhibitory control), and mediator/process variables implicated in MABTs (mindful eating, acceptance of food cues, mindfulness, body responsiveness, autonomous motivation, values clarity, hunger/satiety perceptions, and motivation and pleasure resulting from social functioning) will be assessed as well.
- Conditions
- Obesity, Weight Loss
- Being tested
- Behavioral Treatment, Willingness, Values, Mindful Awareness
- Keywords
- Obesity, Weight Loss, Behavioral treatment, Acceptance-based behavioral weight loss treatment, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Multiphase Optimization Strategy
- 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.
Behavioral TreatmentBehavioural
Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered)
WillingnessBehavioural
Integration of acceptance and willingness skills into Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered).
ValuesBehavioural
Integration of values clarification and awareness skills into Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered).
Mindful AwarenessBehavioural
Integration of mindfulness and present-moment awareness skills into Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment |
| Behavioral + Willingness | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Willingness |
| Behavioral + Values | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Values |
| Behavioral + Mindful Awareness | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
| Behavioral + Willingness + Values | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Willingness; Behavioral: Values |
| Behavioral + Willingness + Awareness | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Willingness; Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
| Behavioral + Values + Awareness | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Values; Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
| Behavioral + Willingness + Values + Awareness | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment; Behavioral: Willingness; Behavioral: Values; Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Weight Change
Measured at home using a standardized weighing procedure. Participants will be weighed in lightweight clothes without shoes using a standardized bluetooth scale accurate to 0.1 kg.
Measured: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).
Secondary outcomes (3)
Dietary Intake
Dietary intake was recorded on the popular mobile application MyFitnessPal.
Measured: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months) (i.e., at 0, 6, and 12 months).
Physical Activity
Measured in minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) using one wrist-worn activity tracker including Fitbit Charge 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Measured: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).
Quality of Life Score
Measured using the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI). The min and max values are 1 and 18. Higher scores mean a better outcome.
Measured: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Apr 2020
- Study start15 Aug 2019
- Primary completion7 Nov 2024
- Study completion7 Nov 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for ObesityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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 N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 276 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Drexel University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Meghan Butryn, Drexel University
- Investigators
- Evan M Forman, PhD, Principal investigator, Drexel University Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04337619
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- R01DK119658
- Acronym
- Activate
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 25 Feb 2020
- Last updated
- 14 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Crochiere RJ, Fitzgerald DT, Butryn ML, Zhang F, Beaulieu K, Maher JP, Huang Z, Cong C, Forman EM. Moderators of the relation between physical activity and subsequent energy intake among behavioral weight loss participants. Health Psychol. 2026 Mar 5:10.1037/hea0001597. doi: 10.1037/hea0001597. Online ahead of print.
PubMed 41785111Chabria R, Hagerman CJ, Crane N, Ehmann M, Knudsen FM, Brown KL, Forman E, Butryn ML. Racial disparities in the efficacy of traditional versus acceptance-based behavioral weight loss. Health Psychol. 2026 Feb;45(2):197-205. doi: 10.1037/hea0001537. Epub 2025 Jul 24.
PubMed 40705619Crochiere RJ, Butryn ML, Zhang F, Beaulieu K, Maher JP, Huang Z, Cong C, Forman EM. Intraday relations between physical activity and energy intake among behavioral weight loss participants. Health Psychol. 2024 May;43(5):376-387. doi: 10.1037/hea0001358. Epub 2024 Jan 8.
PubMed 38190202
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 14 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Mindfulness and Acceptance Based Behavioral Treatment for Weight Loss
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04337619
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Activate / R01DK119658
- Conditions
- Obesity, Weight Loss
- Keywords
- Obesity, Weight Loss, Behavioral treatment, Acceptance-based behavioral weight loss treatment, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Multiphase Optimization Strategy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 276 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Drexel UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Aug 2019 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 7 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 7 Nov 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 7 Apr 2020 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 11 Mar 2026
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Mindfulness and Acceptance based Behavioral Therapies (MABTs) are among the most promising behavioral approaches for obesity, with two recent large trials showing that they achieve better initial weight loss and/or better weight loss maintenance than does gold standard behavioral weight loss treatment (BT). However, results vary, potentially due to inconsistencies in how MABT components are utilized and emphasized. Optimizing MABTs using a typical approach, i.e., successive randomized controlled trials of various MABT packages, is slow and difficult. Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) has been developed as a better method of optimizing treatment. Consistent with Phase I of MOST, we derived three MABT components from the theoretical literature. Evaluation of MABT components through a factorial design (MOST Phase II) will allow us to determine the independent and interacting efficacies of each MABT component, in addition to the identification of subsets of individuals most or least responsive to each component. Whereas mediational analyses have been inconclusive, the use of a factorial design will allow for a critical test of the main and interaction effects of individual MABT treatment components. The current study will use a full factorial design to identify the independent and combined effects of three core MABT components (Awareness, Acceptance, and Values Clarity) as additions to remotely delivered weight loss counseling. Moderators of treatment outcome (disinhibited eating, food cue susceptibility, emotional eating, delay discounting, and inhibitory control), and mediator/process variables implicated in MABTs (mindful eating, acceptance of food cues, mindfulness, body responsiveness, autonomous motivation, values clarity, hunger/satiety perceptions, and motivation and pleasure resulting from social functioning) will be assessed as well.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Factorial
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 8
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment |
| Behavioral + Willingness | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Willingness |
| Behavioral + Values | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Values |
| Behavioral + Mindful Awareness | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
| Behavioral + Willingness + Values | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Willingness, Behavioral: Values |
| Behavioral + Willingness + Awareness | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Willingness, Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
| Behavioral + Values + Awareness | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Values, Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
| Behavioral + Willingness + Values + Awareness | Experimental | Behavioral: Behavioral Treatment, Behavioral: Willingness, Behavioral: Values, Behavioral: Mindful Awareness |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Individuals must be of overweight or obese BMI (27-50 kg/m2)
- Individuals must be adults (aged 18-70)
- Completion of a 3-day food diary
- Completion of baseline assessment tasks
- Willingness to lose weight, be physically active, and participate in-group sessions.
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Inability to engage in physical activity (defined as walking a city block without stopping)
- Medical or psychiatric condition that may pose a risk to the participant during intervention, cause a change in weight, or limit ability to comply with the program
- Recently began or changed the dose of a medication that can cause significant change in weight
- History of bariatric surgery; weight loss of > 5% in the previous 3 months
- Currently pregnant or breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral TreatmentStandard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered) | Behavioural | Behavioral + Mindful Awareness, Behavioral + Values, Behavioral + Values + Awareness, Behavioral + Willingness, Behavioral + Willingness + Awareness, Behavioral + Willingness + Values, Behavioral + Willingness + Values + Awareness, Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment |
| WillingnessIntegration of acceptance and willingness skills into Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered). | Behavioural | Behavioral + Willingness, Behavioral + Willingness + Awareness, Behavioral + Willingness + Values, Behavioral + Willingness + Values + Awareness |
| ValuesIntegration of values clarification and awareness skills into Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered). | Behavioural | Behavioral + Values, Behavioral + Values + Awareness, Behavioral + Willingness + Values, Behavioral + Willingness + Values + Awareness |
| Mindful AwarenessIntegration of mindfulness and present-moment awareness skills into Standard Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment (remotely delivered). | Behavioural | Behavioral + Mindful Awareness, Behavioral + Values + Awareness, Behavioral + Willingness + Awareness, Behavioral + Willingness + Values + Awareness |
Primary outcome
Weight Change
Time frame: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).
Measured at home using a standardized weighing procedure. Participants will be weighed in lightweight clothes without shoes using a standardized bluetooth scale accurate to 0.1 kg.
3 secondary outcomes
Dietary Intake
Time frame: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months) (i.e., at 0, 6, and 12 months).
Physical Activity
Time frame: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).
Quality of Life Score
Time frame: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 14 Oct 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41785111Crochiere RJ, Fitzgerald DT, Butryn ML, Zhang F, Beaulieu K, Maher JP, Huang Z, Cong C, Forman EM. Moderators of the relation between physical activity and subsequent energy intake among behavioral weight loss participants. Health Psychol. 2026 Mar 5:10.1037/hea0001597. doi: 10.1037/hea0001597. Online ahead of print.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 40705619Chabria R, Hagerman CJ, Crane N, Ehmann M, Knudsen FM, Brown KL, Forman E, Butryn ML. Racial disparities in the efficacy of traditional versus acceptance-based behavioral weight loss. Health Psychol. 2026 Feb;45(2):197-205. doi: 10.1037/hea0001537. Epub 2025 Jul 24.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 38190202Crochiere RJ, Butryn ML, Zhang F, Beaulieu K, Maher JP, Huang Z, Cong C, Forman EM. Intraday relations between physical activity and energy intake among behavioral weight loss participants. Health Psychol. 2024 May;43(5):376-387. doi: 10.1037/hea0001358. Epub 2024 Jan 8.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Obesity
Not yet recruiting
Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Combined With Lifestyle Intervention for Visceral Fat Reduction in Adults With Overweight or Obesity
Overweight, Obesity
Not yet recruitingObservational study
Assessing the Impact of Perceptions of Unpredictability on Objective Measures of Food Consumption and Metabolism
Healthy Volunteer, Obestity
RecruitingPhase 1/2
HS235 Study in Overweight and Obese Participants With Combined Pre and Post-Capillary Pulmonary Hypertension Due to Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Pulmonary Hypertension, Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Not yet recruitingPhase 3
ELEVATE-LIVER: A Study to Test Whether Survodutide Helps Improve Heart Structure and Function in People With Overweight or Obesity and Fatty Liver Disease
Obesity, Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease
Not yet recruitingObservational study
A Natural History of Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Pubertal Timing Among Youth With Obesity
Obesity
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.
Evan M Forman, PhD principal investigator
Drexel University Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Behavioral Treatment, Willingness and Values in people with Obesity and Weight Loss, run by Drexel University 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 6 inclusion and 8 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 14 Oct 2026. 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.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 11 Mar 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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?
Weight Change (time frame: Measured at baseline, mid-treatment (6 months), post-treatment (12 months), and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up (i.e., at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months).). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04337619, which also lists 3 linked publications.
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 14 Oct 2026.