CHOICE to AVOID or RESIST

Since we initiated recruitment for the AVOID/RESIST trial (IRB STUDY00001652: AVOID-RESIST), we have noted that some participants have a strong initial inclination for one of the self-regulatory strategies. Some individuals have clearly expressed which strategy they believed would work for them, while others have voiced dislike or skepticism for an assigned intervention component. While attrition in the last 18 months (12.5%) is comparable to trials of similar size and scope, over 56% (n=18) of withdrawals were explicitly (n=3) or tangentially (n=15) related to intervention assignment.

This pilot study (CHOICE) seeks to leverage our ongoing R01 to test whether participants' active choice of behavior change pathways and strategies leads to better adherence, retention, and engagement. Consistent with ongoing procedures, women, and men with overweight or obesity (BMI between 25-45 kg/m2) will be enrolled in the WW digital program for 12 months. R01 participants will continue to be randomized to one of the 4 study arms: (1) WW alone, (2) WW + AVOID, (3) WW + RESIST, (4) WW + AVOID + RESIST. CHOICE participants will be asked to choose which self-regulatory strategy (AVOID or RESIST) they want to receive to promote behavior change consistent with WW recommendations.