Healthy Body Study

Summary

Few obesity prevention programs have produced weight gain prevention effects that persist over long-term follow-up and those that have are extremely lengthy, averaging 52 hr in duration, making implementation difficult and costly. The 2010 US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations for treating child \& adolescent obesity state that programs should have ≥ 25 hr of comprehensive treatment including dietary, physical activity and behavioral counseling, and that programs with \< 25 hr usually do not produce improvements. The implication is that, if centers cannot provide this level of service (as most cannot), it is not worth providing any kind of treatment at all. In extreme exception to this, an intensive 3-hr non-restrictive obesity prevention program involving participant-driven healthy lifestyle improvement plans designed to bring caloric intake and output into balance (Healthy Weight) has been found to significantly reduce increases in BMI and obesity onset relative to alternative interventions and assessment-only controls through 3-yr follow-up. We propose to test an extended 6-hr version of the Healthy Weight intervention in a sample of primarily low SES, minority adolescents and young adults who are overweight and report body dissatisfaction and subthreshold eating disorder symptoms, as these are prevalent risk factors for obesity. We will test the hypothesis that participants assigned to the Healthy Weight vs. control intervention will have significantly lower BMI and % body fat during follow-up. Secondary outcomes will include body dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, and eating disorder symptoms. 300 adolescents and young adults at high risk for future weight gain by virtue of their age, BMI percentile, body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptomatology will be randomized to Healthy Weight or weight control educational video. Participants will complete assessments of BMI, body composition, potential mediators, and other outcomes at pretest, posttest and 6--mo follow-ups (in yr 1). Thus, to refute the USPSTF recommendations statement, we propose to show that a 6-hr intervention led by graduate students can produce significant reductions in risk for both obesity and eating disorders, suggesting this inexpensive and brief intervention could and should be rolled out nationwide.

Primary Aim: To test the hypothesis that Healthy Weight will significantly reduce increases in BMI, % body fat, and risk for onset of obesity during follow-up.

Secondary Aim: To test the hypothesis that Healthy Weight will significantly reduce body dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, and eating disorder symptoms.

NOTE: THIS STUDY IS ONLY OPEN TO PATIENTS AT THE MOUNT SINAI ADOLESCENT HEALTH CENTER

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Healthy Weight

The PI will train 4 group leaders to deliver the intervention. Groups will be offered four times per week and consist of approximately 10 participants. Each group will be led by 2 group leaders and each group leader will lead two sessions per week during the 2.5 mo intervention period. Group leaders will digitally video-record all sessions of the first two groups they deliver so the PI can provide supervision and rate fidelity and competence for a random selection of 6 of these 12 sessions. Group leaders will transmit the video recordings via an encrypted, secure internet connection to Dr. Ochner (who was trained by Dr. Eric Stice, the creator of the intervention) within 3 d for supervision, and competence and fidelity assessments.

BEHAVIORAL

Controlled Intervention

"The Weight of the World" is a 51 min documentary focusing on the topics of obesity and healthy living. Via information presented by medical professionals and lifestyle experts, this film delves into issues related to preventing and combating obesity. Major topics include the importance of healthy eating and exercise behaviors and the changes that can be made by communities to reshape our lifestyles. Participants will be given a copy of the DVD. They will also be given the choice to stream it free on the web.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Christopher Ochner, PhD · Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Max Age

24 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-11-30

Primary Completion

2015-09-30

Completion

2015-09-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations