# Improving Weight Loss and Cardiometabolic Risk in Black Primary Care Patients with Obesity and Diabetes

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2022 · $733,904

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Type 2 diabetes is a major health concern in the United States, and underserved and minority populations
share a disproportionate amount of the burden. Further, the Deep South has higher rates of obesity, diabetes,
and other chronic conditions than other regions. Modest weight loss can significantly improve cardiometabolic
risk and several health outcomes in patients with diabetes. This study will examine the effectiveness of
integrating primary care with a health coach who remotely delivers care, facilitated by the patient portal of an
electronic medical record (EMR), in Black patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes. We will also assess the
contextual factors of the intervention settings that may influence utilization and dissemination of the weight loss
intervention. The study group will include Black primary care patients aged 18-70 years with obesity and type 2
diabetes. We will randomly assign 352 individuals equally to an EMR-facilitated behavioral weight loss
intervention and a usual care group for 24 months. Patients in the weight loss group will receive a
comprehensive, high-intensity behavioral weight loss program delivered by a health coach using interactive
electronic health (eHealth) technology including video conferencing, with a strong emphasis on bi-directional
communication. Through an EMR patient portal, patients will have access to program materials and
personalized weight loss graphs to track their progress. Patients in the usual care group will continue to
receive routine medical care by their primary care practitioner. We hypothesize that patients in the weight loss
group will have greater and clinically significant percent reductions in body weight compared to patients in the
usual care group. We further hypothesize that patients in the weight loss group will have greater improvements
in secondary outcomes, including fasting plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, cardiovascular disease risk factors,
and patient-reported outcomes such as medication use, sleep quality, mobility, dietary intake, physical activity,
and quality of life. Finally, we will study the implementation of the intervention using focus groups, semi-
structured interviews, and cost-effectiveness analysis in order to better understand external validity and
implementation outcomes. The proposed study will significantly advance the translation of evidence-based
weight loss strategies into primary care that are widely applicable to the growing diabetes population in the
United States, particularly in the Deep South.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10494292
- **Project number:** 5P50MD017338-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter Todd Katzmarzyk
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $733,904
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-24 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10494292

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10494292, Improving Weight Loss and Cardiometabolic Risk in Black Primary Care Patients with Obesity and Diabetes (5P50MD017338-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10494292. Licensed CC0.

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