Can family skills boost weight loss? researchers test four ingredients

NCT ID NCT06724406

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
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Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

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First seen Sep 23, 2026 · Last updated Sep 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing which combination of four family-focused components works best alongside a standard six-month behavioral weight loss program for Black adults. The components include communication training, cohesion-building content, the number of sessions, and whether sessions happen in person or online. About 256 participants will join with a family partner, attend group and paired sessions, and track their weight, diet, and activity. The goal is to learn which mix helps people lose the most weight.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a family-centered behavioral weight loss program with skills training in communication and cohesion
What this could lead to
If it works, this could show which family-focused elements make behavioral weight loss programs more effective for Black adults, shaping how such programs are designed.
What could go wrong
Behavioral weight loss programs often produce modest results that are hard to maintain, and this trial tests different combinations of family components rather than a proven recipe. The findings may not apply to people without a willing family partner or to other groups.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 256 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * self-identified as Black or African American (Index participant) * BMI equal to greater than 30 kg/m\^2 (Index); BMI equal to greater than 27.5 kg/m\^2 (family partner) * have a partner/family member willing to enroll in the study and must share a mutual goal of achieving weight loss * English speaking * ages 18-75 * any gender * have access to and be able to use a smartphone, tablet, or computer that has web-access (this is required for data collection and some program components being tested) Exclusion Criteria: * participation in an intensive weight loss program (more than 12 visits) in the prior 6 months * type 1 diabetes * significant psychiatric illness, defined as depression or other major psychiatric illness not considered reasonably managed by counseling, medication, or both * had bariatric surgery (surgery for weight loss) in the last 2 years or considering bariatric surgery in the next 6 months * using or planning to start medications intentionally for weight loss * are pregnant or planning to get pregnant in the next 6 months * are breastfeeding and less than 2 months postpartum * alcohol or substance abuse, defined as alcohol or substance use that interferes with work activities and/or has had a major negative impact on family/social function, the latter defined as more than 2 episodes per month. * malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancer, unless considered cured \> 5 years ago. Exceptions include 1) men with localized prostate cancer (treated with usual modalities or managed with "active surveillance"), and 2) postmenopausal women receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy (e.g., aromatase inhibitor) for non-metastatic, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer * self-report of advanced kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \< 30 mL/min)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

diabetes mellitus Obesity obesity disorder Overweight Weight Loss

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    RECRUITING

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, United States

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