How stress, race, and thinking habits affect weight-loss success across income levels
Stress, race, and cognitive mediators of SES-related disparities in behavioral obesity treatment outcomes
This project compares how stress, daily mental demands, and race relate to weight-loss program success for adults of lower versus higher socioeconomic status.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rush University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11171403 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a standard behavioral weight-loss program where equal numbers of people from lower and higher income backgrounds are enrolled. Researchers will track your weight, activity (using devices like an accelerometer), daily stressors, and decision-making patterns called "present bias" to see how these factors influence sticking with the program. The team will also balance participants by race/ethnicity and follow everyone over time with regular check-ins and measurements. Findings will be used to design better weight-loss approaches that fit the real-life challenges people face.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older with overweight or obesity (including people with type 2 diabetes) who are willing to join a behavioral weight-loss program are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children, people unable to attend clinic visits in the Chicago area, or those with medical conditions that prevent participation in a standard weight-loss program are unlikely to benefit from joining this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to weight-loss programs that help people with lower income achieve better results by addressing stress and decision-making barriers.
How similar studies have performed: Previous weight-loss programs consistently show smaller results for lower-income groups, and work targeting decision-making and stress is promising but not yet proven to close that gap.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Rush University Medical Center — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Appelhans, Bradley M. — Rush University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Appelhans, Bradley M.
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.