Trial results for a tailored weight management program for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and obesity were posted on 2026-05-06. The MOVE!+UP program, designed to address PTSD-related barriers to weight loss, did not show a statistically significant difference in weight change compared to the standard MOVE! program, with a mean difference of -1.52 pounds at 6 months (95% CI: -5.93 to 2.89; p=0.5).
Background
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common condition among Veterans, often leading to significant challenges in psychological functioning, quality of life, and overall physical health. A notable concern is the disproportionately high rates of obesity observed in Veterans with PTSD. This is partly attributed to how PTSD symptoms can impede engagement in physical activity and adherence to healthy dietary practices. Existing weight management programs, such as the VA's MOVE! program, have shown less effectiveness for Veterans with PTSD compared to those without the condition. The MOVE!+UP program was developed to enhance standard PTSD care by specifically addressing these PTSD-related barriers to successful weight loss, building upon insights from prior pilot studies.
Trial design
The completed trial (NCT04563741) enrolled 174 participants, focusing on Veterans diagnosed with PTSD, Overweight, and Obesity. The study compared two weight management programs: the experimental MOVE!+UP program, which is a tailored intervention, against the Active Comparator: MOVE! program, which represents standard care. Key outcomes measured included changes in weight, PTSD symptom severity, insomnia, and physical activity levels.
Key results
The trial's primary analyses compared the change from baseline to follow-up between the MOVE!+UP intervention and the standard MOVE! control group using linear mixed effects regression models. The results indicated no statistically significant differences between the two groups for the measured outcomes:
- For weight change from baseline to 6 months post-baseline, the mean difference between the intervention and control groups was -1.52 pounds (95% CI: -5.93 to 2.89), with a p-value of 0.5.
- At 12 months post-baseline, the mean difference in weight change was -1.88 pounds (95% CI: -7.29 to 3.53), with a p-value of 0.49.
- Regarding PTSD symptom severity at 6 months, the mean difference was -0.65 on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (95% CI: -4.22 to 2.9), with a p-value of 0.72.
- For insomnia severity at 6 months, measured by the Insomnia Severity Index, the mean difference was -0.35 (95% CI: -2.14 to 1.44), with a p-value of 0.7.
- Changes in average daily light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity at 6 months showed a mean difference of -1.81 minutes (95% CI: -29.39 to 25.76), with a p-value of 0.9.
- For average daily moderate and vigorous physical activity at 6 months, the mean difference was -1.73 minutes (95% CI: -16.44 to 12.99), with a p-value of 0.82.
These analyses were intention-to-treat, adjusted for baseline values and other relevant factors, and used Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations to address missing data.
What this means
The results of this trial indicate that the tailored MOVE!+UP program, designed to address specific barriers for Veterans with PTSD and obesity, did not demonstrate a statistically significant advantage over the standard MOVE! program. While both groups experienced some weight loss and improvements in other metrics, the differences between the experimental and control interventions were not significant. This suggests that while addressing PTSD-related factors in weight management is important, the specific augmentation provided by MOVE!+UP in this study did not yield superior outcomes compared to existing standard care for this population.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT04563741, titled "MOVE!+UP: Testing a Tailored Weight Management Program for Veterans With PTSD," were posted on 2026-05-06 on clinicaltrials.gov.