# Perceptions on the use of medication for weight management fromteens, parents and pediatricians in the southwest.

> **NIH NIH UG1** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2022 · $6,100

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The Medical Student Scholar (MSS) recently completed his 3rd year in medical school at the University of New
Mexico School of Medicine. He is interested in research to build upon his medical training. Having experienced
being obese as a child, he has a special interest in adolescent obesity. His background is that of a
Hispanic underrepresented minority in the biomedical field and his diversity will be of great benefit on the
proposed study entitled “Perceptions on the use of medication for weight management from teens, parents,
and pediatricians in the southwest.” This formative study will contribute to the larger IDeA States Pediatric
Clinical Trials Network’s planned clinical trial on phentermine + lifestyle therapy vs placebo + lifestyle therapy.
Understanding adolescents’, caregivers’, and pediatricians’ perceptions of weight loss medications, especially
phentermine, is critically important as there has been negative publicity on the weight loss drug, Fen-phen, in
the 1990s. While the phentermine component was not the culprit that caused heart valve damage, the
association of phentermine with Fen-phen may likely still be a concern for use among parents and
pediatricians who are old enough to remember when the FDA ordered Fenfluramine to be removed from the
market. The results of the MSS’s proposed study will be used to inform recruitment, retention, and
implementation of the planned phentermine clinical trial. Through hands-on research experience, the PI will
mentor the MSS to develop skills in basic qualitative research and increase his understanding of formative
research that can be used in preparation of clinical trials in the pediatric population. The MSS will be supported
by a team of experienced researchers with qualitative expertise and be exposed to the services at the UNM
Clinical and Translational Science Center and the Community Engagement Research Core. He will be actively
involved through training and take part in the study to meet competency in clinical research regulations, IRB
submission, developing semi-structured interview guides, participant recruitment and consent, participant
interviewing, and thematic analysis.
Specific objectives are as follows: 1) Mentor will guide MSS in the proposed independent research project that
augments and is integral to the parent project, and 2) MSS will leverage parent project experts and
interprofessional collaboration for project actualization.
Specific aims for the MSS: 1) Build MSS research skills over the course of the proposed formative study
through an Individual Development Plan and self-assessment to provide structured oversight and employ a
variety of teaching methods tailored to the MSS’s skills and needs including one-on-one sessions, current
discipline specific literature curriculum, collaboration with study related team group meetings, consultation with
team experts, opportunity to attend interdisciplinary local seminars and attendance at a national conference
coverin...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10626664
- **Project number:** 3UG1OD024947-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Alberta Sum-Yu Kong
- **Activity code:** UG1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $6,100
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-23 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10626664

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10626664, Perceptions on the use of medication for weight management fromteens, parents and pediatricians in the southwest. (3UG1OD024947-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10626664. Licensed CC0.

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