Craving Regulation Training for Diet Modification
(ROC Teens! Trial)
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial tests a mobile app designed to help adolescent girls eat more fruits and vegetables by managing their cravings through regulation of craving training. Researchers aim to determine if the app can improve healthy eating habits and other health measures, such as body size and blood sugar levels, over a year. Participants will be divided into groups, with some using the craving regulation app and others using an app with fun food facts. The trial seeks girls aged 15–18 who do not have certain medical conditions that could affect growth or metabolism. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance healthy eating habits in adolescents.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you are using medications related to metabolism or weight, you may not be eligible to participate.
What prior data suggests that this mobile app intervention is safe for adolescent girls?
Research has shown that techniques to manage cravings, such as imaginal retraining and cue exposure therapy, are generally safe. Studies have found these methods to be well-tolerated, with no serious side effects reported.
The mobile app tested in this trial employs these craving management strategies. Previous studies indicate that these strategies can help individuals make healthier food choices, even under stress, by training the brain to respond differently to cravings.
Additionally, similar craving management training has been used to help reduce smoking, showing positive results without major side effects.
Overall, the techniques used in this app have a strong safety record. Participants in past studies have not reported any significant problems when using them.12345Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about the Craving Regulation Training for Diet Modification trial because it explores innovative ways to manage food cravings, a key factor in diet modification and weight management. Unlike standard approaches that often rely on dietary restrictions or medication, this trial tests mental strategies to influence cravings. The "Positive regulation" arm encourages participants to think about the social justice benefits of healthy eating, while the "Critical regulation" arm focuses on the consequences of unhealthy eating. These methods aim to reframe how individuals perceive food choices, potentially leading to healthier eating habits without the need for traditional dieting techniques.
What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for increasing fruit and vegetable intake in adolescent girls?
Research has shown that the craving training (ROC-T) program can help people make healthier food choices, even under stress. In this trial, participants will be randomized into different arms to test the program's effectiveness. One study found that this program helped participants choose healthier foods. The trial evaluates both the positive and critical regulation of craving training approaches for their ability to encourage healthier choices. Using the app's methods could help people eat more fruits and vegetables. These early results suggest that the mobile app might help manage cravings and improve overall eating habits.12467
Who Is on the Research Team?
Grace Shearrer, PhD
Principal Investigator
University of Wyoming
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for adolescent girls aged 14-18 living in rural areas who are interested in improving their diet. It's aimed at those who may be at risk of obesity, diabetes, or have poor dietary habits. Participants need to commit to using a mobile app twice weekly for one year.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Baseline Assessment
Baseline in-person visit measures including oral glucose tolerance test, height, weight, and waist circumference measurements
Treatment
Participants use the mROC-T mobile app twice a week for a year to improve dietary intake
Follow-up
1-year follow-up in-person visit to assess changes in HEI, BMI, waist circumference, and blood glucose
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Regulation of craving training
Trial Overview
Researchers are testing if a mobile app that trains users to regulate cravings can lead to better eating habits and health outcomes like healthier body weight and blood sugar levels. The study compares the effects of this training with learning fun food facts over the course of a year.
How Is the Trial Designed?
3
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
Participants randomized into the active mROC-T intervention (mROC-T+) will: 1. Read a brief essay about the social justice benefits of eating healthy foods 2. Participants complete six free-response questions to ensure that they understood the essays. 3. Participants are instructed to use the information from the essay. They are shown a cue matching the essay: "Think Positive" 4. They are shown an image of a healthy food (no added sugar and \< 2g/serving saturated fat) OR an image of an unhealthy food (contain added sugar and/or \>4.5g/serving saturated fat). 5. The participant is asked to rate how strong their craving is for the pictured food. The participant indicates their craving on a VAS from 1 (No craving at all) to 5 (Very high craving)
Participants randomized into the active mROC-T intervention (mROC-Tc) will: 1. Read a brief essay about the social justice consequences of eating unhealthy foods (CIRITCAL, mROCTc) 2. Participants complete six free-response questions to ensure that they understood the essays. 3. Participants are instructed to use the information from the essay. They are shown a cue matching the essay: "Think Critical" 4. They are shown an image of a healthy food (no added sugar and \< 2g/serving saturated fat) OR an image of an unhealthy food (contain added sugar and/or \>4.5g/serving saturated fat). 5. The participant is asked to rate how strong their craving is for the pictured food. The participant indicates their craving on a VAS from 1 (No craving at all) to 5 (Very high craving)
Participants randomized to the control (CRO) group will: 1. Read a brief essay about fun food trivia (unrelated to any aspects of perceived healthiness). The essays are matched on structure/word count to the mROC-T essays. 2. Participants complete six free-response questions to ensure that they understood the essays. 3. Participants are instructed to use the information from the essay. They are shown a cue matching the essay, either: "Think Relaxed" or "Think Serene". 4. They are shown an image of a healthy food (no added sugar and \< 2g/serving saturated fat) OR an image of an unhealthy food (contain added sugar and/or \>4.5g/serving saturated fat). 5. The participant is asked to rate how strong their craving is for the pictured food. The participant indicates their craving on a VAS from 1 (No craving at all) to 5 (Very high craving)
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of Wyoming
Lead Sponsor
American Diabetes Association
Collaborator
Published Research Related to This Trial
Citations
Mobile Regulation of Craving Training (mROC-T) to ...
The goal of this clinical trial is to test if a regulation of craving training intervention in the form of a mobile phone app can increase fruit and ...
Craving Regulation Training for Diet Modification
Both MBT and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) effectively reduced cue-induced craving, but only MBT maintained its effectiveness without increasing smoking ...
Regulation of craving training to support healthy food ...
This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the ROC-T intervention in improving healthy food choices and to explore the intervention mechanism.
Mobile Regulation of Craving Training (mROC-T) to Improve ...
The goal of this clinical trial is to test if a regulation of craving training intervention in the form of a mobile phone app can increase fruit and vegetable ...
Training self-regulation to promote healthy eating
First, we hypothesized that receiving strategy training would be more effective in promoting healthy eating compared to the no-treatment control ...
Regulating Food Craving: From Mechanisms to Interventions
A novel ROC-based intervention that trains individuals to use cognitive strategies to regulate craving, with promising effects on subsequent food choice and ...
Brief training in regulation of craving reduces cigarette ...
Brief training in craving regulation, using ROC-T, significantly reduced daily cigarette smoking, with effects persisting through follow-up.
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