Extrait

Background and study aims: Over half of the adults in the UK are overweight or obese and these numbers are expected to increase even further. As obesity often leads to serious health problems such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, this puts a huge strain on NHS resources. Therefore, there is a need to research new ways of helping these individuals reduce their weight. The aim of this study is to test the effect of a new type of weight loss treatment (a Monetary Contingency Contract or MCC). The MCC treatment involves a person who is motivated to lose weight being set a safe goal for how much weight they will lose over a given period of time (8 weeks in the present study). The individual then deposits a certain amount of money chosen by themselves within a certain range, which is then returned to them based on the amount of weight they lose. This study also tests whether this treatment might be improved by pairing people who both want to lose weight. Who can participate: People between the ages of 18-65 with a body mass index above 25 who want to lose weight What does the study involve: All participants are given a weight loss goal to lose 4.56% of their body weight over an 8-week period and are provided with basic printed weight loss information. Participants are randomly allocated to one of four groups: 1. Participants are put in contact with one of the other participants they have not met before to become 'weight loss partners'. Each participant is asked to pay a sum of money (an amount of their choice) at the start of the 8-week period, a proportion of which was returned to them at the end of treatment according to the proportion of their weight loss goals that the two partners had achieved on average. 2. Participants are put in contact with a weight loss partner and are asked to pay a sum of money, but return of the money relies only on each participant's own weight loss. 3. Participants are not provided with a weight loss partner. Participants are asked to pay a sum of money, a proportion of which is returned to them at the end of treatment according to the proportion of the weight loss goal that they had achieved. 4. Participants are asked to pay a sum of money at the start of the study, this money is given immediately back to them and they are told that the researchers are just making sure that they are motivated to pay in money and so are motivated to lose weight. These participants are not provided with a weight loss partner. Weight and body fat are measured in all four groups at the start of the study and at the end of the 8-week period. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants may lose weight and improve their health. The weight loss information provides them with hints and tips regarding weight loss, which could be used even after the study has ended. As the refund of their deposit was contingent on actual weight loss, there is a risk that if participants are struggling to lose weight, they may use unsafe weight loss methods to try and achieve the weight loss quickly before their weigh-in (e.g. use of laxatives, fasting, purging). To prevent this, participants are discouraged from using such methods at the first meeting. Where is the study run from? University of Leeds (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? March 2013 to August 2014 Who is funding the study? University of Leeds (UK) Who is the main contact? Dr Bianca Sykes-Muskett

Critère d'inclusion

• Overweight and obesity

Liens

• isrctn