Analyses of Adherence Strategies and Data Sets from CALERIE to Explore Behavioral and Psychosocial Aspects of Sustained Caloric Restriction in Humans (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PA 18 825

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 825

This funding opportunity (PA-18-825) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project grant (R01) issued by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to support secondary analyses of existing data from the CALERIE trial. The central goal is to use the CALERIE Computerized Tracking System (CTS) database to better understand the behavioral and psychosocial factors that influence long-term adherence to caloric restriction (CR) in humans. Rather than funding a new intervention study, the announcement focuses on analyzing already-collected trial data to answer questions about how people successfully sustain reduced calorie intake over extended periods, what personal and social factors help or hinder adherence, and how the adherence methods used in CALERIE might be translated into strategies that promote healthier day-to-day behaviors in broader populations, especially to prevent age-related weight gain.

CALERIE (Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy) is highlighted because it was the first human trial designed specifically to study the effects of sustained caloric restriction. The trial established that maintaining CR for at least two years is feasible and linked to favorable changes in predictors of longevity and cardiometabolic risk factors. A major point emphasized in the opportunity description is that CALERIE achieved a degree of sustained weight loss not previously accomplished in clinical studies of non-obese individuals, making the dataset especially valuable for understanding long-term behavior change outside the typical context of obesity treatment. Applicants are expected to leverage the richness of the CTS database to examine adherence dynamics over time, including patterns of engagement, behavioral skills, psychological responses, and social-context variables that may explain why some participants maintained CR more effectively than others.

The research scope is oriented toward behavioral and psychosocial science questions. Projects might explore, for example, which adherence strategies were most strongly associated with sustained caloric restriction, how motivation and self-regulation evolved across the two-year period, what role stress, mood, social support, or life events played in adherence lapses, and whether early adherence signals predict longer-term outcomes. Another theme is translation: the funding opportunity encourages work that takes what was learned about adherence in a tightly controlled clinical trial and considers how those strategies could inform practical approaches to encourage healthy habits in real-world settings. While caloric restriction is the focus, the announcement frames the broader public health relevance in terms of promoting healthy behaviors and preventing gradual weight gain with age, which is a common pathway toward cardiometabolic disease and functional decline later in life.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant opportunity in the health category (CFDA 93.866) using the R01 mechanism, and it explicitly notes that clinical trials are not allowed. That generally means the funded work should not prospectively assign human participants to interventions to evaluate health-related outcomes; instead, it should concentrate on secondary data analysis, methodological work tied to the existing dataset, and hypothesis testing using the CALERIE CTS data. The opportunity was created on June 8, 2018, and the listed original closing date in the source information is September 7, 2021.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants such as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; special district governments; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and tribal organizations (including other than federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other entities. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant categories, including minority-serving institutions (such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, AANAPISISs, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) and regional organizations. Overall, the opportunity is designed to maximize the scientific yield from a landmark aging-related nutrition trial by funding rigorous secondary analyses that explain the human factors behind sustained caloric restriction and translate those insights into strategies for long-term healthy behavior maintenance.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Analyses of Adherence Strategies and Data Sets from CALERIE to Explore Behavioral and Psychosocial Aspects of Sustained Caloric Restriction in Humans (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-06-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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