Using Implementation Intentions to Self-incentivise Weight-loss

NCT ID: NCT03522727

Last Updated: 2018-10-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 79 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-05-04
• Study Completion Date: 2018-08-31

Brief Summary

The aim of the present research is to test the effect of helping people to reward themselves when they have successfully lost weight and the impact this will have on subsequent weight. Each participant will be randomly allocated to one of four conditions. The trial requires 200 participants to perform a fully powered statistical analysis. The four conditions are: (1) a control condition, (2) intervention 1 (form a single self-incentivising implementation intention from a drop-down menu), (3) intervention 2 (form multiple self-incentivising implementation intentions from a drop-down menu), or (4) intervention 3 (asked to form a single self-incentivising implementation intention of their own devising). The main outcome measure will be BMI, which will be self-reported.

Conditions

Overweight

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Control

Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Intervention 1

Single self-incentivising implementation intention

After completing a questionnaire, participants will be asked to form a self-incentivising implementation intention:

Research shows that rewarding yourself for success can help you to lose weight, but that people often forget to reward themselves. We want you to plan to reward yourself if you achieve your personal weight-loss goal, at the end of 4 weeks. To help you do this, we would like you to complete the following sentence by telling us how you will reward yourself.

Please complete the following sentence with a reward of your own choosing.

If I lose at least ___lbs/kg by the end of 4 weeks, then I will reward myself by…

**Drop down menu**

Learning a new skill...

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Single self-incentivising implementation intention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants are asked to form a single self-incentivising implementation intention (if-then plans)

Intervention 2

Multiple self-incentivising implementation intentions

After completing a questionnaire, participants will be asked to form self-incentivising implementation intentions:

Research shows that rewarding yourself for success can help you to lose weight, but that people often forget to reward themselves. We want you to plan to reward yourself if you achieve your personal weight-loss goal, at the end of 4 weeks. To help you do this, we would like you to complete the following sentence by telling us how you will reward yourself. You can choose as many rewards as you like! Please complete the following sentence with a reward of your own choosing.

If I lose at least ___lbs/kg by the end of 4 weeks, then I will reward myself by… and/or…

**Drop down menu**

Learning a new skill...

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Multiple self-incentivising implementation intentions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants are asked to form multiple self-incentivising implementation intentions (if-then plans)

Intervention 3

Self-generated self-incentivising implementation intentions

After completing a questionnaire, participants will be asked to form a self-incentivising implementation intention:

Research shows that rewarding yourself for success can help you to lose weight, but that people often forget to reward themselves. We want you to plan to reward yourself if you achieve your personal weight-loss goal, at the end of 4 weeks. To help you do this, we would like you to complete the following sentence by telling us how you will reward yourself.

Please complete the following sentence with a reward of your own choosing.

If I lose at least ___lbs/kg by the end of 4 weeks, then I will reward myself by…

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Self-generated self-incentivising implementation intentions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants are asked to form a self-incentivising implementation intention (if-then plans) without a drop-down menu

Interventions

Single self-incentivising implementation intention

Participants are asked to form a single self-incentivising implementation intention (if-then plans)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Multiple self-incentivising implementation intentions

Participants are asked to form multiple self-incentivising implementation intentions (if-then plans)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Self-generated self-incentivising implementation intentions

Participants are asked to form a self-incentivising implementation intention (if-then plans) without a drop-down menu

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged 18+

Exclusion Criteria

• Unable or unwilling to complete questionnaire

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Manchester

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Christopher Armitage

Professor of Health Psychology

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Christopher Armitage, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Manchester

Locations

Online study

Manchester, , United Kingdom

University of Manchester

Manchester, , United Kingdom

Countries

United Kingdom

Other Identifiers

Davids/Coulthard_1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id