The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: design and rationale for assessment of food intake, physical activity and other behavioral constructs

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center NIH-funded clinical trial designed to determine the physiological basis for variability in weight loss maintenance among adults with obesity following participation in a behavioral weight loss program. Two hundred and five healthy adults, aged 25-<60 years, with body mass index 30-<40 kg/m<sup>2</sup> complete up to four serial assessments (before weight loss; after ≥7% weight loss; and four and 12 months later). This report, one in a five-part series on the POWERS study design, provides the rationale for and description of behavioral measures. Standardized laboratory meals are used to measure energy intake and eating-related behaviors. Behavioral and neurocognitive factors related to eating (e.g., food-choice decision making, taste preferences, reward, self-control) are assessed via computer-based tasks and self-report questionnaires. Functional and structural neuroimaging augment the behavioral assessments by identifying underlying neural circuitry. Psychological factors related to weight regulation (e.g., self-monitoring, stigma, self-efficacy) are assessed via self-report questionnaires. Free-living physical activity and sleep are measured via accelerometry, polysomnography and self-report questionnaires. We will evaluate how changes, integrated values and patterns in these predictors and components of energy intake and energy expenditure contribute to individual variability in weight change during the 12 months following weight loss. We anticipate that extensive phenotyping using sophisticated eating behavior paradigms and assessments of critical components of energy expenditure before and after weight loss will lead to improved predictions of successful weight loss maintenance. This, in turn, will inform more effective treatments for long-term sustained weight loss.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Obesity
Published
2026-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01991-3
Primary Topic
Eating Disorders and Behaviors
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: design and rationale for assessment of food intake, physical activity and other behavioral constructs

Olive Zhu, Mars Scharf, Gary Wu, Stephanie Kelley et al.
International Journal of Obesity
Eating Disorders and Behaviors
article

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study: design and rationale for assessment of food intake, physical activity and other behavioral constructs

Olive Zhu, Mars Scharf, Gary Wu, Stephanie Kelley, Belle Sh, Christopher E. Kline, Arden McMath, Kathryn Whyte, J. W. Gu, Yifei Sun, Payman L. Zamani, John M. Jakicic, Gabrielle Grosso, Deborah Lee Young-Hyman, M. St-Onge, Bramaramba Kowtha, Kubarah Ghias, Giada Benasi, Kelsey R. Leonard, Karin Foerde, Maren R. Laughlin, Heather B. Seid, M. J. S. Lowe, Melissa Fernando, Adam Czernuszenko, Matthew Hayes, P Bénos, E. S. Williams, Leibel Rl, J. F. Speakman, Varsha Sayana, Matthew Zourelias, Yanovski, Sai Krupa Das, Susan Xiaoqin Lin, Andrew J. Pelesko, Anna Zhou, David Hallam, Daaimah Dratsky, Lillian Chau, Tamara Haller, Rachel Saks, Nicholas Wellman, Andrew Howland, Agnes Wong, Wen Wen Yu, Cynthia Mikula, Alexis Gomez, Lindsay Herman, Christina Mastracchio, Dympna Gallagher, Rochelle Goldsmith, Kyle S. Burger, Kelly C. Allison, NIH, Maxine Ashby-Thompson, Michio Hirano, Sophie Meierovich, Cassandra Demastus, Yiying Zhang, Susan Z. Yanovski, Abdus S. Wahed, Charles LeDuc, Susan B. Roberts, Michael Rosenbaum, Kirk I. Erickson, Laurel Mayer, Catherine Hambly, Michael Rickels, Nathaniel Holmes, Janet Schebendach, Roger A. Fielding
article en

Abstract

The Physiology Of the WEight Reduced State (POWERS) study is a multi-center NIH-funded clinical trial designed to determine the physiological basis for variability in weight loss maintenance among adults with obesity following participation in a behavioral weight loss program. Two hundred and five healthy adults, aged 25-<60 years, with body mass index 30-<40 kg/m<sup>2</sup> complete up to four serial assessments (before weight loss; after ≥7% weight loss; and four and 12 months later). This report, one in a five-part series on the POWERS study design, provides the rationale for and description of behavioral measures. Standardized laboratory meals are used to measure energy intake and eating-related behaviors. Behavioral and neurocognitive factors related to eating (e.g., food-choice decision making, taste preferences, reward, self-control) are assessed via computer-based tasks and self-report questionnaires. Functional and structural neuroimaging augment the behavioral assessments by identifying underlying neural circuitry. Psychological factors related to weight regulation (e.g., self-monitoring, stigma, self-efficacy) are assessed via self-report questionnaires. Free-living physical activity and sleep are measured via accelerometry, polysomnography and self-report questionnaires. We will evaluate how changes, integrated values and patterns in these predictors and components of energy intake and energy expenditure contribute to individual variability in weight change during the 12 months following weight loss. We anticipate that extensive phenotyping using sophisticated eating behavior paradigms and assessments of critical components of energy expenditure before and after weight loss will lead to improved predictions of successful weight loss maintenance. This, in turn, will inform more effective treatments for long-term sustained weight loss.

International Journal of Obesity
Dartmouth College (US), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US), Tufts University (US), National Institutes of Health (US), Cleveland Clinic (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), Office of the Director (US), University of Kansas Medical Center (US), Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (US), Office of Disease Prevention (US), Rowan University (US), University of Rochester (US), Drexel University (US), Columbia University (US), University of Pennsylvania (US), University of Amsterdam (NL)
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
Openalex Percentile: Top 93%
Eating Disorders and Behaviors
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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