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Multicenter Worksite Nutrition Study

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Diabetes
Overweight
Interventions
Other: vegan instruction and food accessibility
Other: control
Registration Number
NCT01224548
Lead Sponsor
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to study the potential benefits of low fat vegan diet in a randomized, controlled and multi-centered workplace setting, the investigators will enroll participants from 10 worksites of Government Employee Insurance Company (GEICO). After randomization, 5 will be the vegan sites and 5 will be the control sites for 10 month study. The vegan sites will receive low fat vegan diet instructions and weekly group sessions starting from year 1. no intervention is done to the control sites until the week 18 when the identical program will be given. At various time points, health measurements will be give to all participants.

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to study the weight loss and other potential benefits of low fat vegan diet as compared to the standard American diet in a randomized, controlled and multi-centered workplace setting.

The 10 months study involves 5 vegan sites and 5 control sites generated through a random process after recruitment. The vegan sites will receive low fat vegan diet instructions and weekly group sessions starting from the January, 2011. The control sites will also receive identical instructions starting from the 5th month and lasting for 18 weeks.

For each participant at baseline and week 18 a blood test will be conducted, along with blood pressure, weight, hip and waist measurements. A questionnaire will also be administered during these time points to assess dietary intake, work productivity, quality of life, and healthcare utilization. At the end of one year, information about health insurance utilization will be obtained from Health Maintenance Organization(HMO) or Preferred Provider Organization(PPO) for each participant.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
292
Inclusion Criteria
  • Paid employee at a participating GEICO worksite for at least 6 months
  • Currently a full-time employee at GEICO working for GEICO (at least 38.75 hours/week)
  • Age of at least 18 years
  • Ability and willingness to participate in all components of the study
  • A willingness to be assigned to the vegan diet group or the control group
  • Body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 and/or a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as defined by a fasting plasma glucose concentration ≥ 126 mg/dl on two occasions or a prior physician's diagnosis of type 2 diabetes
Exclusion Criteria
  • A history of alcohol abuse or dependency followed by any current use
  • Current or unresolved past drug abuse
  • Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant in the next 12 months
  • Intention to leave GEICO in the next 12 months
  • History of severe mental illness
  • Unstable medical status
  • Already following a low-fat, vegetarian diet
  • An inordinate fear of blood draws
  • Previously participated in GEICO two site study

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
vegan groupvegan instruction and food accessibilityparticipants from sites of this group will receive vegan nutritional intervention starting from Feb 2011
vegan groupcontrolparticipants from sites of this group will receive vegan nutritional intervention starting from Feb 2011
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
weight10 months

body weight at the end of 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
blood pressure10 months

diastolic and systolic blood pressures at the end of 12 months

waist circumference10 months

measurement of waist circumference at 12 months

absenteeism10 months

number of days absent because of sickness over the past 6 months, surveyed at the end of 12 months.

health insurance utilization0 month

categorized payments by health insurance company for health-related coverage over the past 12 months, surveyed at baseline

healthy insurance utilization12 months

categorized payments by health insurance company for health-related coverage over the past 12 months, surveyed at the end of 12 months

blood lipid panel10 months

blood test of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol, and triglyceride at the end of 12 months

quality of life10 months

questionnaire on quality of life measurements surveyed at the end of 12 months

hemoglobin A1c10 months

blood test of hemoglobin A1c level (for diabetic participants only) at the end of 12 months

hip circumference10 months

measurement of hip circumference at the end of 12 months

Trial Locations

Locations (10)

Tucson

🇺🇸

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Fredericksburg

🇺🇸

Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States

Woodbury

🇺🇸

Woodbury, New York, United States

Chevy Chase

🇺🇸

Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States

Lakeland

🇺🇸

Lakeland, Florida, United States

Macon

🇺🇸

Macon, Georgia, United States

Dallas

🇺🇸

Dallas, Texas, United States

Virginia Beach

🇺🇸

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

San Diego

🇺🇸

San Diego, California, United States

Buffalo

🇺🇸

Buffalo, New York, United States

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