Actively Recruiting
Cooking Skills to Improve Long-Term Weight Loss in Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities
Led by University of Kansas Medical Center · Updated on 2025-10-06
114
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
26 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of Kansas Medical Center
Lead Sponsor
E
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
This research aims to find out if adding hands-on cooking classes to a weight management program helps young adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities lose more weight and keep it off compared to a traditional weight loss program. The study will last 24 months and include 114 participants aged 18 to 35 years. Researchers will also examine changes in cooking skills, body fat, health markers like blood pressure and cholesterol, daily living skills, and caregiver stress. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Both groups will follow the enhanced stoplight diet and aim for at least 120 minutes of aerobic exercise and 30 minutes of strength training weekly. All participants receive an iPad with exercise videos, a fitness tracker, and monthly Zoom meetings with a health coach for 18 months. The group with cooking classes will attend in-person sessions twice a month for the first 6 months and once a month for the next 12 months, learning safe cooking skills and meal preparation. The other group will receive motivational video messages instead. Participants will be involved in regular weight measurements at 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. They will also undergo assessments of cooking skills, body fat, blood pressure, and caregiver stress during lab and home visits. Researchers will track progress over 18 months of active and maintenance support, followed by 6 months with no contact. The study will explore how cooking skills relate to long-term weight loss and overall health in this community.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Cooking Skills to Improve Long-Term Weight Loss in Young Adults With Intellectual Disabilities
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Diagnosis of mild-to-moderate intellectual disability
- Age between 18 and 35 years
- Body mass index (BMI) greater than 24.9 and body weight less than 350 pounds
- Enough ability to understand directions and communicate preferences, including spoken language
- Living at home with a parent or guardian, or in a supported living environment with a caregiver who helps with food shopping, meal planning, and preparation and agrees to be a study partner
- Planning to attend all required study visits over 24 months
You will not qualify if you...
- Unable to participate in physical activity
- Insulin-dependent diabetes
- Participated in a weight management program involving diet, physical activity, or medication in the past 6 months
- Diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome
- Pregnancy in the past 6 months, currently breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy in next 24 months
- Serious medical risks such as cancer, recent heart attack, stroke, or angioplasty as determined by primary care provider
- Unwilling to be randomly assigned to a study group
- Unable to participate in small group, in-person instruction
- Use of wheelchair or power chair as main way of moving around
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - 18 months
Participants follow a healthy eating plan called the enhanced stoplight diet and aim for regular exercise. They have monthly Zoom check-ins with a health coach using an iPad. Participants in the Cooking Skills group attend in-person cooking classes twice a month for the first 6 months and once a month from months 7 to 18. Those in the Traditional Weight Loss group receive short motivational video messages at the same frequency instead of cooking classes.
Monthly Zoom check-ins and cooking classes twice a month for 6 months then once a month through month 18 (Cooking Skills group) or motivational video messages twice a month for 6 months then once a month through month 18 (Traditional group)
Duration - 6 months
Participants continue to be monitored without active intervention for an additional 6 months to assess long-term outcomes.
Weight and health measures collected at 24 months
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
L
Lauren Ptomey, PhD
J
Jessica Danon
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
PREVENTION
Number of Arms
2
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