Weight loss with support from partners and housemates
Official title: Collaborate2Lose: Collaborating with romantic and non-romantic support persons to improve long-term weight loss
Funded at Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp · NIH-11146528 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program helps Veterans and someone they live with learn skills to keep weight off long-term.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003480-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11146528 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans age 21 or older with obesity who live with and can enroll a romantic or non-romantic support person willing to participate.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not live with a supportive cohabiting person or who cannot engage a partner to join the program are unlikely to benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
If you join, you would enroll as a Veteran together with a romantic or non-romantic person you live with who also participates. You will be randomly assigned to either the usual VA weight-management program or to a version where you and your support person are taught communication and support skills to help maintain diet and activity changes. The study team will measure weight, adherence, and other outcomes over time and use virtual and primary care–linked visits to deliver the intervention. The goal is to see whether involving a household support person helps Veterans sustain weight loss better than standard care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help Veterans keep weight off longer and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Existing VA programs like MOVE! produce short-term weight loss but often see regain, and adding household support is a promising but not yet proven method for improving long-term maintenance.
Where this research is happening
-
Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Voils, Corrine Ione — Wm S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hosp
- Study coordinator: Voils, Corrine Ione
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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.