The Physiology of the WEight-Reduced State (POWERS) study: environmental, psychological, and social determinants of health
Intentional weight loss is often followed by unintentional weight regain. The causes of weight regain are uncertain but may include a myriad of responses that result in increased hunger and decreased energy expenditure. An individual's psychological state and social and physical environments are also thought to influence weight regain in ways that can either support or derail weight loss maintenance. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Physiology of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center clinical trial aimed at describing the molecular, cellular, physiological, behavioral, environmental and psychosocial factors that may be associated with an individual's ability to maintain their new weight after weight loss. This report provides the rationale for and describes the environmental, psychological and social determinants of health measures used in the POWERS study.
Authors
- Daaimah Dratsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5342-4988)
- Kirk I. Erickson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8736-981X)
- Rudolph L. Leibel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6062-7222)
- Lindsay Herman
- Michelle Horowitz
- Susan B. Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1320-8460)
- Kelly C. Allison (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9807-0220)
- Cassandra Demastus
- Nancy S. Wellman
- Stephanie Kelley
- Kyle S. Burger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6376-7514)
- Alexis O. Aparicio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1107-2718)
- Michael Rosenbaum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2835-9202)
- Christopher E. Kline (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1025-9430)
- Christina A. Roberto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2333-9309)
- Gary D. Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1829-8795)
- Michael R. Lowe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6301-9214)
- Arden McMath (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7288-2511)
- Kathryn Whyte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2914-8688)
- David R. Roalf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1728-9782)
- M. Scharf
- Panayiotis V. Benos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3172-3132)
- Payman L. Zamani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-5834)
- Gabrielle Grosso
- John R. Speakman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2457-1823)
- Deborah Lee Young-Hyman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8935-5494)
- Martin Picard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2835-0478)
- Lillian Chau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2729-485X)
- Cynthia Mikula
- Andrew Howland
- Andrew Pelesko
- Charles A. LeDuc (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2073-5050)
- Dympna Gallagher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1769-9754)
- Laurel Mayer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9424-1133)
- Joel Matos Nunez
- Giada Benasi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1537-6655)
- Bramaramba Kowtha
- Roger A. Fielding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2236-9020)
- Catherine Hambly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2947-4539)
- Matthew R. Hayes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9782-6551)
- Bret H. Goodpaster (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1275-5147)
- Sai Krupa Das (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0788-0461)
- Jing Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5735-8482)
- Kelsey R. Leonard
- Karin Foerde (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5804-9312)
- Yifei Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6961-5500)
- Heather Seid
- Wenwen Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2337-6962)
- Maren R. Laughlin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1714-2908)
- Michael Roehrhoff Rickels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9253-838X)
- Maxine Ashby‐Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9752-2208)
- Marie‐Pierre St‐Onge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1354-1749)
- Tamara Haller
- A. Ning Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1746-4210)
- Melissa Fernando
- Abdus S. Wahed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6911-7221)
- Adam Czernuszenko
- Yiying Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0366-0165)
- Susan Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4743-3180)
- Nathaniel Holmes
- Michio Hirano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7070-7402)
- David Hallam
- Susan Z. Yanovski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6843-1670)
- E. S. Williams
- Steven H. Belle
- Rochelle Goldsmith
- Janet Schebendach
- A.M. Autrán Gómez
- Agnes Wong
- Sophie Meierovich
- Rachel Saks
- Olive Zhu
- Kubarah Ghias
- Christina Mastracchio
- Varsha Sayana
- Matthew Zourelias
Institutions
- Dartmouth College (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Tufts University (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- University of Aberdeen (GB)
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center (US)
- University of Florida (US)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (US)
- Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (US)
- Office of Research Services (US)
- University of Kansas Medical Center (US)
- Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (US)
- Office of Disease Prevention (US)
- University of Rochester (US)
- Drexel University (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Obesity
- Published
- 2025-09-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01911-5
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.88
Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- University of Pennsylvania
- National Institutes of Health
- Agricultural Research Service
- Office of Naval Research
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Center for Research Resources
- Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences