PCORI to Invest $20 Million in Studies to Compare Obesity Treatment Options for Low-Income, Rural, and Minority Adults

WASHINGTON, DC — The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today issued a call for research proposals to determine which obesity treatment options delivered in primary care settings achieve the best weight loss results in people at risk for health disparities.

PCORI will invest up to $20 million to fund up to two large trials of how well multi-component lifestyle interventions work in treating obesity in adults age 20 and older. These interventions include dietary counseling, increased physical activity, and behavioral therapy to help individuals stick to their healthy changes.

Because obesity disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities, people who live in rural areas, and low-income individuals, PCORI specifically requires proposals submitted in response to this funding announcement to focus on these populations. Nearly 50 percent of African-American adults had obesity in 2010, compared to about 34 percent of their white counterparts, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And close to 40 percent of rural participants were obese compared to 33 percent of urban participants in 2008.

“It's easy to think that the solutions to obesity are simple and obvious -- eat less and exercise more -- but in reality it’s much more complicated,” said Romana Hasnain-Wynia, MS, PhD, Director of PCORI’s Addressing Disparities Program. “We need more evidence about the role of primary care in supporting the lifestyle changes that work best given people’s circumstances – such as their income levels and where they live – and about which strategies help people make and maintain lifestyle changes, especially when they are at risk for health disparities.”

Federal guidelines call on primary care physicians to provide behavioral therapy to help their patients with obesity lose weight, but these recommendations are not consistently followed and there is little evidence about what works best, particularly for underserved populations.

Primary care clinics could provide practical settings for screening, monitoring, and treating obesity, Hasnain-Wynia says. Applications must have at least one component set in primary care practices that have links to or partnerships with community-based programs or practice centers.

Applicants must submit letters of intent (LOIs) no later than 5 p.m. ET Friday, March 7. The LOIs will be reviewed by PCORI staff and those invited to submit full applications will be notified on Friday, March 21. More information about this funding opportunity, including criteria and key dates, is available in the Funding Opportunities section of PCORI's website.

PCORI has added new resources to its application process that are designed to help applicants meet all criteria. These include a new rubric designed to guide applicants in developing the required patient and other stakeholder engagement plan and revised budget templates that will enable easier completion and entry into the application system. Applicants can also learn more about this funding opportunity through an informational “town hall” webinar beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

This funding announcement is one of eight issued today by PCORI, which is seeking to invest up to $206 million in patient-centered comparative effectiveness research through these latest calls for proposals. PCORI has awarded more than $464 million to support 279 patient-centered research projects to date.