Award
National Cancer Institute 5R01CA268034-05
Rural Engagement in TelemedTeam for Options in Obesity Treatment Solutions (RE-TOOL)
Recipient
University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
Award Amount
$900,212.00
Ceiling
$900,212.00
Awarded
January 20, 2026
Identifier
5R01CA268034-05
The award funds a study to test a telemedicine intervention called TelemedTeam aimed at improving obesity treatment access and outcomes in rural populations through team-based care involving patients, primary care providers, and lifestyle coaches.
Description
This project evaluates the effectiveness of TelemedTeam, a two-year team-based telemedicine intervention that combines group telemedicine visits, lifestyle coaching, and team-based clinic visits involving the patient, primary care provider (PCP), and lifestyle coach. The approach integrates group treatment, home-based telemedicine, and local team-based care to improve access and medical management in rural clinics. It is a cluster randomized controlled trial involving 16 clinics and 560 participants, testing whether TelemedTeam yields greater weight loss at 24 months compared to usual care. Secondary outcomes include proportions achieving ≥5% and 10% weight loss, diet quality, physical activity, quality of life, and treatment process metrics. Exploratory analyses will examine sociocultural and spatial predictors of treatment effects.