Print

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect on weight and metabolic outcomes of an enhanced intervention, comprised of evidence-based financial coaching plus a lifestyle intervention vs. the lifestyle intervention alone

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • English speaking parents - BMI>25.0 at baseline - must have a child participant in the Brighter Bites program at study enrollment - own a smartphone (Android 6 and iPhone 12.4 or later) - must able to participate in study activities

Exclusion Criteria

  • medications known to affect appetite or body composition (e.g., corticosteroids, antidepressants, beta blockers, sulfonylureas, insulin) - currently diagnosed with conditions known to affect body composition or fat distribution (e.g., Cushing's syndrome, hypothyroidism) - diagnosis of an eating disorder - currently pregnant.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Enhanced Intervention group
  • Behavioral: Financial coaching using TrustPlus
    Participants will be assigned a financial coach, who will, prepare a budget, conduct a soft pull of their credit report and score to analyze the credit score. Based on the participant's goals and financial limitations as highlighted by the, the participant and financial coach will create a personalized financial action plan comprising of strategies, follow-up actions, and resources, which includes unlimited access to one-on-one sessions with the financial coach. After the intensive financial coaching, participants will maintain access to the TrustPlus Portal and can continue to connect with their financial coach as needed throughout the 6-month intervention period. Participants will also have ongoing access to educational webinars and Trust+Ed, an interactive resource that provides self-guided content on many financial topics of interest, such as credit building and debt management.
  • Behavioral: Brighter Bites
    Families receive a weekly distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables for 24 weeks, there will be Nutrition education in school throughout the school year using the evidence-based CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) program and weekly healthy recipe tastings and cooking skill demos for families during produce pick-up time.Fruit and vegetable access is complemented by CATCH, an evidence based, Texas Education Agency-approved, coordinated school health program designed to promote healthy nutrition, physical activity, and prevent obesity in schoolchildren. In addition, the Brighter Bites website and mobile app are freely available in English and Spanish.
  • Behavioral: Noom
    Participants will get access to Noom which is a mobile app for weight loss that shifts the paradigm from dieting to a digitally supported and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cognitive behavioral therapy approach to support personalized behavior changes towards eating, physical activity and stress management. The Noom Healthy Weight curriculum covers foundations in weight loss, nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress management.Daily tasks (e.g., weight and food logs, readings) are organized vertically in simple cards on the phone screen, allowing users to easily scroll through what needs to be done. It will pull physical activity data (e.g., steps) directly from the health app on smartphones or apps associated with external devices such as Fitbit. Furthermore, Noom stands out from other app-based programs by assigning a personal coach to each user, helping users navigate the emotional and physiological experiences of the Noom weight loss experience.
Active Comparator
lifestyle-intervention group
  • Behavioral: Brighter Bites
    Families receive a weekly distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables for 24 weeks, there will be Nutrition education in school throughout the school year using the evidence-based CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) program and weekly healthy recipe tastings and cooking skill demos for families during produce pick-up time.Fruit and vegetable access is complemented by CATCH, an evidence based, Texas Education Agency-approved, coordinated school health program designed to promote healthy nutrition, physical activity, and prevent obesity in schoolchildren. In addition, the Brighter Bites website and mobile app are freely available in English and Spanish.
  • Behavioral: Noom
    Participants will get access to Noom which is a mobile app for weight loss that shifts the paradigm from dieting to a digitally supported and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cognitive behavioral therapy approach to support personalized behavior changes towards eating, physical activity and stress management. The Noom Healthy Weight curriculum covers foundations in weight loss, nutrition, physical activity, sleep and stress management.Daily tasks (e.g., weight and food logs, readings) are organized vertically in simple cards on the phone screen, allowing users to easily scroll through what needs to be done. It will pull physical activity data (e.g., steps) directly from the health app on smartphones or apps associated with external devices such as Fitbit. Furthermore, Noom stands out from other app-based programs by assigning a personal coach to each user, helping users navigate the emotional and physiological experiences of the Noom weight loss experience.

Recruiting Locations

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, Texas 77030
Contact:
Shreela V Sharma, Ph.D., R.D., L.D
713-500-9344
Shreela.V.Sharma@uth.tmc.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Study Contact

Shreela V Sharma, PhD,RD,LD
713-500-9344
Shreela.V.Sharma@uth.tmc.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.