Using Tailored Messages to Encourage Healthy Lifestyle Choices in a Brief, Self-directed Intervention

NCT ID: NCT06856551

Last Updated: 2025-04-17

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 200 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-10-30
• Study Completion Date: 2017-03-20

Brief Summary

The study aimed to investigate 1) if a brief, regulatory focus-based intervention could promote weight control and changes in certain lifestyle behaviors and 2) how weight was affected by changes in these behaviors. The lifestyle behaviors of interest included meal regularity, self-monitoring of diet and physical activity, fast-food eating, screen related viewing and eating, dietary modifications, self-weighing, and physical activity. It was hypothesized that increases in meal regularity, self-monitoring, healthy dietary modifications, self-weighing, and physical activity would lead to better weight control over six months. Conversely, it was hypothesized that increases in fast food consumption and screen related eating and viewing would lead to poorer weight control over six months. It was expected that promotion and prevention conditions, relative to the control condition, would lead to better weight control and increases in meal regularity, self-monitoring, healthy dietary modifications, self-weighing, and physical activity, and decreases in fast food consumption and screen related eating and viewing. Furthermore, it was expected that the promotion condition would lead to better outcomes than the prevention condition.

Conditions

Weight Control

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Minimal contact control

Participants in the control group received a pamphlet about general dietary and physical activity guidelines.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Minimal contact control

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the control group received a pamphlet about general dietary and physical activity guidelines.

Promotion focus group

Participants completed a 1-hour educational information session with study staff and received a packet which contained information about energy balance, healthy food choices, exercise recommendations, strategies for weight control, goal setting, and responding to lapses. Participants were encouraged to track their food intake and exercise with a provided log book or free apps (Lose It!; MyFitnessPal). All messages and study tasks were framed in terms of promotion focus. Email messages were sent every 2 to 3 weeks to reinforce the study messages about health promotion and weight control.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Promotion and Prevention Interventions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

regulatory focus groups, participants completed a 1-hour educational information session with study staff and received a packet which contained information about energy balance, healthy food choices, exercise recommendations, strategies for weight control, goal setting, and responding to lapses. Participants were encouraged to track their food intake and exercise with a provided log book or free apps (Lose It!; MyFitnessPal). The informational content and intervention procedures were identical except for the framing of messages and tasks. The prevention messages emphasized protecting one's health (e.g., failing to regularly exercise can undermine your weight control program and lead to poor health; if you do not vigilantly follow these behaviors, you will not fulfill your weight control goals or protect your health and well-being; not eating fruits and vegetables results in failure to supply the body with the nutrients it needs). The promotion messages emphasized promoting one's health

Prevention focus group

Participants completed a 1-hour educational information session with study staff and received a packet which contained information about energy balance, healthy food choices, exercise recommendations, strategies for weight control, goal setting, and responding to lapses. Participants were encouraged to track their food intake and exercise with a provided log book or free apps (Lose It!; MyFitnessPal). All messages and study tasks were framed in terms of prevention focus. Email messages were sent every 2 to 3 weeks to reinforce the study messages about health promotion and weight control.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Promotion and Prevention Interventions

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

regulatory focus groups, participants completed a 1-hour educational information session with study staff and received a packet which contained information about energy balance, healthy food choices, exercise recommendations, strategies for weight control, goal setting, and responding to lapses. Participants were encouraged to track their food intake and exercise with a provided log book or free apps (Lose It!; MyFitnessPal). The informational content and intervention procedures were identical except for the framing of messages and tasks. The prevention messages emphasized protecting one's health (e.g., failing to regularly exercise can undermine your weight control program and lead to poor health; if you do not vigilantly follow these behaviors, you will not fulfill your weight control goals or protect your health and well-being; not eating fruits and vegetables results in failure to supply the body with the nutrients it needs). The promotion messages emphasized promoting one's health

Interventions

Minimal contact control

Participants in the control group received a pamphlet about general dietary and physical activity guidelines.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Promotion and Prevention Interventions

regulatory focus groups, participants completed a 1-hour educational information session with study staff and received a packet which contained information about energy balance, healthy food choices, exercise recommendations, strategies for weight control, goal setting, and responding to lapses. Participants were encouraged to track their food intake and exercise with a provided log book or free apps (Lose It!; MyFitnessPal). The informational content and intervention procedures were identical except for the framing of messages and tasks. The prevention messages emphasized protecting one's health (e.g., failing to regularly exercise can undermine your weight control program and lead to poor health; if you do not vigilantly follow these behaviors, you will not fulfill your weight control goals or protect your health and well-being; not eating fruits and vegetables results in failure to supply the body with the nutrients it needs). The promotion messages emphasized promoting one's health

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 18+ years old
• generally healthy
• BMI between 18.5 and 35

Exclusion Criteria

• pregnancy within the past 6 months
• current pregnancy
• plan to get pregnant in the next 6 months
• serious physical or psychological problems that would contraindicate participation in a weight-related program
• history of anorexia or bulimia
• diabetes or hypertension
• current participation in a weight-loss program
• BMI < 18.5, >35.0

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

Sponsors

University of North Florida

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Paul Fuglestad

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

724308

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id