Engaging Self-regulation Targets to Improve Mood and Weight and Understand Mechanism in Depressed and Obese Adults

Summary

Multimorbidity (i.e., the coexistence of 2 or more chronic conditions in an individual) is increasingly recognized as a pressing public health problem. Effective interventions targeting coexisting depression and obesity are critical given the high prevalence and worsened outcomes for patients with both conditions.

ENGAGE-2 is a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). The objective is to investigate the outcomes and mechanisms of an integrated depression and obesity intervention that combines collaborative stepped depression treatment and evidence-based behavioral weight loss treatment. The Integrated Coaching for Better Mood and Weight-2 (I-CARE2) intervention synergistically integrates 2 proven national programs: the Program to Encourage Active and Rewarding Lives (PEARLS) for depression care and the Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) program for weight loss and cardiometabolic risk reduction.

In Phase 1 of the ENGAGE project, investigators developed a new protocol to quantify activation and connectivity of the Affective, Cognitive Control, and Default Mode brain circuits from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) among 108 depressed obese patients. Investigators implement the same fMRI protocol in this second phase of the project to examine the mechanistic role of these brain circuits as potential neural targets in treatment engagement and response in the I-CARE2 intervention. A new sample of 105 depressed obese patients are randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive the I-CARE2 intervention (n=70) or usual care (n=35). Study assessments occur at 0 (baseline), 2 and 6 months. Investigators hypothesize that 1 or more of the neural targets under study will moderate (baseline state) and/or mediate (change at follow-up) the effect of the I-CARE2 intervention versus usual care on health behaviors (problem-solving ability, dietary intakes, physical activity) and clinical outcomes (weight loss, depression, anxiety).

Conditions

• Obesity
• Depression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

I-CARE2

I-CARE2 intervention synergistically integrates 2 proven national programs: the Program to Encourage Active and Rewarding Lives (PEARLS) for depression care and the Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) program for weight loss and cardiometabolic risk reduction. The PEARLS program provides problem-solving therapy (PST) as first-line for treating depression, with as-needed antidepressant medication intensification. Adapted from the original Diabetes Prevention Program, the GLB program promotes healthy lifestyle change for weight loss and increased physical activity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stanford University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Washington

  collaborator OTHER

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Illinois at Chicago

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jun Ma, MD,PhD · University of Illinois at Chicago

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-03-01

Primary Completion

2020-08-31

Completion

2021-08-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations