CoachToFit: A weight-loss program for people with serious mental illness
CoachToFit: Adapted Weight Loss Intervention for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness
This program uses a smartphone app plus weekly phone support from a peer wellness coach to help people with serious mental illness lose weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11350383 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would use a smartphone app that delivers proven weight-management advice while getting weekly phone calls from a VA peer specialist who understands living with serious mental illness. The program is adapted to common cognitive and preference needs of people with SMI so the content is easier to follow. It builds on a small pilot that showed good usability and initial weight loss. The goal is to offer a less time-intensive, more accessible alternative to VA MOVE! services.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Veterans with serious mental illness who are overweight or obese and can use a smartphone or accept weekly phone-based coaching.
Not a fit: People without SMI, those who cannot use a smartphone or phone reliably, or those needing medical or surgical weight-loss treatments may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help Veterans with serious mental illness lose weight, increase activity, and lower their risk of chronic diseases.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier small trials of CoachToFit and other technology-plus-peer-coaching weight programs have shown promise, but larger confirmatory trials are limited.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chinman, Matthew — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Chinman, Matthew
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.