WOOP VA: Promoting Weight Management in Primary Care

Summary

Approximately 40% of Veterans have obesity and are at increased risk for cardiometabolic disease. Intensive lifestyle-based weight management programs can lead to clinically significant ( 5%) weight loss. The VA's MOVE! program is effective for promoting weight loss and behavior change for those who attend. Unfortunately, MOVE! has low enrollment and high attrition due to several obstacles including low motivation. Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) is an innovative strategy developed over 20 years of research that uses imagery to increase motivation for behavior change. MCII can be implemented in primary care settings using an easy to teach technique called "WOOP" (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) that Veterans then use regularly on their own with the help of paper-based tools or the WOOP app. The research team will evaluate the efficacy and implementation of MCII when combined with telephone-delivered MOVE! vs. telephone-delivered MOVE! alone to enhance weight management outcomes for Veterans in primary care.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

mental contrasting with implementation intentions

To deliver MCII, Dr. Oettingen developed a step-wise procedure called WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan; Figure 1). In a quiet setting, patients identify an important wish (e.g., losing weight) and then name and vividly imagine the best outcome (e.g., feeling healthier). Next, they name a current internal obstacle (e.g., urge to eat when feeling stressed) and try to vividly imagine their experience when they encounter this obstacle. Finally, they address their obstacle with an if-then plan specifying when, where, and how to overcome it (e.g., "If I have the urge to eat when feeling stressed, I will go for a walk)" and then imagine themselves experiencing the obstacle and carrying out the action of surmounting it. To facilitate use of the WOOP technique, Dr. Oettingen developed a free, publicly available WOOP app

BEHAVIORAL

telephone-delivered, telehealth-delivered, and or in-person MOVE! or TeleMOVE!

MOVE! is a national VA weight management and health promotion program to improve the quality of life of Veterans.6,75 This effective program encourages healthy eating behavior and increased physical activity. MOVE! will be delivered via telephone (16 sessions) by existing staff consistent with national MOVE! program guidelines. The program has 16 modules and will offered weekly, but Veterans will be able to make up sessions at their own pace if they miss one. MOVE! staff use the MOVE! facilitator guide that provides instruction on delivering the program via telephone. Update as of 11-2023, the New York Harbor VA paused their offering of telephone-delivered MOVE!. Participants in both arms are offered the in-person or video-delivered MOVE! program. For participants who do not want or are unable to attend group-based MOVE!, they are offered TeleMOVE!.

BEHAVIORAL

Information About Diet, Physical Activity, and Weight Management (Baseline Visit - 10 minutes): All

All participants will receive handouts that they review with a lay educator on weight management, adapted from the educational materials developed for our FIReWoRk Study. Topics include losing weight at a healthy rate, setting a 6-month weight loss goal of 5-10%, limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and portion sizes, making better choices when eating at restaurants, self-monitoring diet and weight, and participating in at least moderate-intensity physical activities.

BEHAVIORAL

Telephone MCII Check-ins (30 minutes at 3 days, 4 weeks, and 2 months after baseline visit)

The lay educator will review and practice the WOOP technique based on protocols from prior studies. To probe Veterans' comprehension, the lay educator will ask for their four steps and ask about their WOOP use and experiences. If needed, the lay educator will help the Veteran to create a new WOOP for the next month and address any questions and concerns about using WOOP.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York University

  collaborator OTHER

• VA Office of Research and Development

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Melanie R. Jay, MD MS · VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-02-15

Primary Completion

2025-06-30

Completion

2026-02-11

Countries

• United States

Study Locations