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University Of Pennsylvania Weight Loss Study
NCT01167634 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
This is a 4-arm, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives to motivate and sustain long-term weight loss. The study will recruit eligible employees at a large health management company to participate in a 6-month weight loss program and have weight measurements for an additional 3-month follow-up period. The primary outcome measure in this randomized controlled trial will be pounds of weight lost. The experimental groups will include variations of deposit contracts (participants put their own money at risk, and lose that money if they fail to achieve their weight loss goal) and fixed payments. The use of deposit contracts is a powerful mechanism for inducing behavior change that is based on loss aversion, a psychological concept first described by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1979. A deposit contract takes advantage of the fact that people typically feel the pain of a loss more than the pleasure of a gain, increasing ones motivation to reach a goal. The study hypotheses are 1) mean weight loss will be greater in all intervention groups compared to the control group by the end of 24 weeks; and 2) individuals in the intervention groups will have a lower mean weight at the end of the 3-month follow-up period than individuals in the control group.
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- BEHAVIORAL Deposit contract with a 1:1 match
- BEHAVIORAL Deposit contract with a 2:1 match
- BEHAVIORAL Deposit Contract with no match
Study Locations (1)
Pennsylvania
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 132 participants |
| Start Date | 2011-05-24 |
| Est. Completion | 2016-07 |
| Phase | NA |
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Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT01167634
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT01167634 describes a study currently listed as completed. It is categorized as NA, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 132 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is University of Pennsylvania, which has 1,457 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 1 condition, with Weight Loss appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 3 interventions — of which Deposit contract with a 1:1 match is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT01167634 reports 1 study location spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include Pennsylvania. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT01167634 about?
NCT01167634 is a clinical study titled "University Of Pennsylvania Weight Loss Study". This is a 4-arm, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of financial incentives to motivate and sustain long-term weight loss. The study will recruit eligible employees at a large health management company to participate in a 6-month weight loss program and have weight measurement...
What is the current status of trial NCT01167634?
This trial is currently completed. It is a NA study. The enrollment target is 132 participants. The study started on 2011-05-24. Estimated completion is 2016-07.
What conditions does trial NCT01167634 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Weight Loss. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT01167634?
The interventions under investigation include: Deposit contract with a 1:1 match (BEHAVIORAL), Deposit contract with a 2:1 match (BEHAVIORAL), Deposit Contract with no match (BEHAVIORAL). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT01167634?
This trial is sponsored by University of Pennsylvania, which has 1,457 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT01167634 being conducted?
This trial has 1 study location across Pennsylvania. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
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