# A Multiple Health Behavior Change Intervention for Overweight and Obese Smokers

> **NIH NIH K23** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $195,156

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This K23 award provides the PI with mentored research career development training necessary to become an independent
researcher capable of developing and testing innovative interventions targeting problematic use of addictive substances
and other maladaptive patterns of behavior associated obesity or other comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions.
Overweight and obese smokers are disproportionately at risk for disease, disability, and premature death but may be
reluctant to give up smoking due to the fear of subsequent weight gain and trouble managing their weight without
cigarettes. Applying weight gain prevention as part of a multiple health behavior change (MHBC) program prior to
smoking cessation, can help overweight and obese individuals lose weight and buffer against post-cessation weight gain.
Achieving some degree of success with behavioral weight loss may result in decreased negative affect, increased future-
oriented decision-making, and increased self-efficacy to manage weight and change smoking with great potential impact
on subsequent smoking cessation outcomes. The current proposal will develop this MHBC intervention for treatment-
seeking overweight and obese smokers and qualitative focus group data and data from an open series of patients to refine
treatment. Next, a small 2-group randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted with 60 overweight or obese
smokers (BMI ≥ 25) assigned to either weight gain prevention (an intervention based on self-regulation approaches to
produce and maintain weight loss as a way to effectively prevent weight gain) or healthy lifestyle education (an attention-
placebo comparison condition matched for contact time) before smoking cessation treatment. Participants will receive 8
weeks of weight gain prevention or lifestyle education followed by 8 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking
cessation with combination nicotine replacement therapy. Smoking cessation counseling sessions will include brief
maintenance information according to assigned condition. Intervention feasibility and acceptability will be assessed and
preliminary data regarding efficacy of the intervention on weight and smoking outcomes will be assessed. The PI will
work with an experienced and knowledgeable team of mentors (Drs. Damaris Rohsenow, Rena Wing, Rosemarie Martin,
and Jennifer Tidey) to develop areas of training relevant to this proposal including: (1) conducting randomized controlled
trials for health behavior change interventions for smokers with comorbid conditions, with an initial primary focus on
obesity, (2) implementing the stage model of treatment development for clinical behavioral therapy research including
qualitative methodology for therapy development, (3) learning advanced statistical techniques for analyzing longitudinal
data in clinical trials, and (4) strengthening professional research career development skills. Preliminary efficacy data
obtained in the proposed ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10084286
- **Project number:** 5K23DA045078-03
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Cara Murphy
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $195,156
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10084286

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10084286, A Multiple Health Behavior Change Intervention for Overweight and Obese Smokers (5K23DA045078-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10084286. Licensed CC0.

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