Choice over control: letting dieters pick their strategy may boost success
NCT ID NCT06521021
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tests whether giving people a choice between two weight management strategies—avoiding tempting foods or learning to resist them—helps them stick with the program better than being assigned a strategy. Sixty adults with overweight or obesity will either choose their approach or be randomly assigned. The goal is to see if choice improves adherence and weight loss outcomes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention (home food environment modification and inhibitory control training)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a more effective, personalized approach to weight management by letting people choose the strategy that fits them best.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. It tests behavioral strategies, not a drug, so the impact may be modest and hard to sustain long-term.
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
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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
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Apr 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Age 18 years or older * BMI between 25-45 kg/m2 * Read, write, and speak English with acceptable visual acuity Exclusion Criteria: * Currently enrolled in weight loss interventions or undergoing bariatric surgery * Pregnant women * Individuals for whom weight loss may be contraindicated (e.g., unstable coronary artery disease, end-stage disease, active cancer treatment, uncontrolled insulin-dependent diabetes, portal hypertension, drug/alcohol abuse) * Individuals who have pacemakers or other electronic medical device implantations * Individuals with severe cognitive delays or visual/hearing impairment * Individuals who are unable or unwilling to complete the study assessments / measurements * Individuals currently subscribed to a meal delivery service who are unwilling to pause their subscription for the duration of the study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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