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Intensive lifestyle intervention protocol designed to identify predictors of weight loss successNew plan seeks personalized ways to manage weight and obesity

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Key Takeaway
Note that this is a study protocol; no results regarding weight loss or intervention efficacy are available.

The proposed randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the impact of an intensive lifestyle intervention on weight loss and daily life behavior changes in 600 participants. The study population includes individuals with varying BMI categories, specifically those who are healthy, overweight, or have obesity.

The primary outcome is defined as the degree of weight loss and associated changes in daily life behavior. Secondary outcomes include various bodyweight indicators and daily lifestyle behaviors measured via ecological momentary assessment over a 3-week follow-up period for behavioral tracking.

Because this publication is a rationale and design protocol, no results regarding treatment response, effect sizes, or safety data are reported. The study has not been conducted yet; therefore, the certainty of any potential findings is currently low.

The ultimate goal of the research is to identify reliable predictors of success to facilitate personalized lifestyle interventions for weight management. Clinical application is currently limited as no data on treatment efficacy or tolerability have been established.

Managing weight is often a personal journey, but it can be hard to know which habits will stick. A new study plan aims to make this process more personal by identifying exactly what helps different people succeed in their goals.

Researchers designed a trial involving 600 people with various body mass index levels. They will compare an intensive lifestyle program against standard information. The goal is to find reliable predictors of success so that experts can offer tailored advice rather than a one size fits all approach.

Because this study is currently in the design phase, no results are available yet. The team has not yet tested the intervention or measured any weight loss. While the plan is ambitious, we must wait for the trial to be completed before we know if these new predictors can truly help people manage their weight.

What this means for you:
A new study design aims to find personal markers that predict success in intensive lifestyle programs.

Study Details

Study typeRct
Sample sizen = 200
EvidenceLevel 2
PublishedJun 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
Background: Obesity is globally recognized as a complex, multifactorial chronic disease, with biological, psychological, environmental and behavioural factors involved in both disease pathogenesis and maintenance. Although previous group-based studies demonstrated involvement of each of these factors, there is large inter-individual variability in the factors contributing to disease development as well as intervention outcomes, causing limited translatability to the individual level. This heterogeneity in treatment effectiveness might be due to differential causal and maintenance factors of obesity. To enable the transition from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more personalized approach for individuals with overweight or obesity, this study aims to investigate if and how the degree of weight loss and changes in daily life behaviour after a combined lifestyle intervention depend on individual baseline profiles comprising of person characteristics, biological, psychological, environmental and behavioural factors. Methods: This study will include 600 individuals varying in BMI, 200 participants with a healthy BMI (18.5-24.9kg/m2), 200 with overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9kg/m2), and 200 with obesity (BMI [≥]30.0kg/m2). For all participants, a comprehensive individual baseline profile is created, including person characteristics, biological, psychological, environmental and behavioural factors. A clustering method is applied to identify clusters of participants with similar characteristics. Next, we examine if and how these clusters are linked to bodyweight indicators measured at baseline, and how they relate to daily lifestyle behaviour, as measured by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using a smartphone app and sensor technology (3-week measurements). Individuals with overweight or obesity will be randomized to the intensive lifestyle intervention or a lifestyle information condition, to determine if treatment response can be predicted based on cluster characteristics, how daily lifestyle behaviour changes after an intervention, and how changes in daily lifestyle behaviour relate to treatment response. Discussion: The End of Average study aims to characterize a large set of individuals varying in body weight to predict intervention effectiveness measured as changes in body weight indicators and in daily lifestyle behaviours. If reliable predictors of treatment success can be identified, these can be applied in personalized lifestyle interventions to improve lifestyle behaviour, body weight management and overall health.
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