About

Rena R. Wing is a Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, with a focus on behavioral treatment of obesity and its application to type II diabetes. She is renowned for her research on the health benefits of modest weight loss, having developed and implemented the lifestyle intervention used in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a large-scale randomized controlled trial demonstrating that modest weight loss significantly reduces the risk of developing diabetes. Wing's work has shown that weight loss of approximately 14 pounds can reduce diabetes risk by 58%, providing compelling evidence of the health benefits of weight management. She is also the principal investigator at The Miriam Hospital for the Study of Health Outcomes of Weight Loss and chairs the ongoing Look AHEAD study, which examines the long-term health impacts of weight loss in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Her research extends to improving behavioral approaches to obesity, including strategies involving exercise goals, dietary structuring, involving spouses, financial incentives, and leveraging internet-based interventions. Wing has investigated key periods for weight gain prevention, such as childhood, pregnancy, and menopause, and has conducted clinical trials targeting these stages. She is a founder of the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks individuals who have successfully maintained significant weight loss, and her work includes studies on weight loss maintenance, behavioral strategies, and brain responses related to weight management. Her extensive research has contributed significantly to understanding how behavioral interventions can promote weight loss, prevent regain, and improve health outcomes related to obesity and diabetes.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Endocrinology
• Physical therapy
• Pediatrics

Selected publications

• The impact of a sleep extension intervention on child health-related quality of life

  Sleep Medicine · 2026-05-12

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Integrating Heart Health Intervention Into Home Visitation

  Home Healthcare Now · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Optimal cardiovascular health during pregnancy and postpartum is critical for reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Although lifestyle interventions effectively promote cardiovascular health, strategies are needed to reach the maternal populations with the highest prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Evidence-based home visiting programs, though not initially developed to address cardiovascular health, offer a promising platform for reaching pregnant and postpartum women at high risk for later cardiovascular disease. This study explored home visitor perspectives on integrating cardiovascular health content into home visitation. Guided by the Social Ecological Model, semi-structured interviews (n = 10) and focus groups (n = 8) were conducted with home visitors, supervisors, and program managers (N = 33) from agencies in California and Rhode Island. Thematic analysis identified broad support for including heart health content, with participants emphasizing the value of culturally relevant, engaging, and flexible curricula that could be tailored to family needs. Organizational challenges included staff burden, training gaps, and funding for intervention sustainability. At the community level, strong relationships with healthcare providers and aligned messaging across systems were identified as key facilitators. Findings provide practical insights for the design and implementation of cardiovascular health interventions within home visiting and highlight the importance of addressing multi-level factors to support successful integration.

  PublisherDOI

• Frequency and associated predictors of screening for eating disorders and obesity in female students in college health centers

  Journal of American College Health · 2025-08-18

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Screening for obesity and eating disorders (EDs) offers a pathway to treatment. The current study surveyed U.S. college healthcare providers regarding screening for obesity and EDs. PARTICIPANTS: = 1,159) from a nationally-representative sample of 384 college health centers. METHODS: Providers completed surveys regarding obesity and ED screening practices and beliefs. Provider-level and organizational-level factors were examined as predictors of screening frequency. RESULTS: Providers reported screening larger percentages of female students for obesity (70%) than EDs (30%) and were more likely to report a center-wide policy to screen for obesity (59.1%) than EDs (33.9%). Providers reporting a routine screening policy predicted screening frequency in both obesity and EDs. Most providers believed screening for obesity (75.6%) and EDs (82.5%) was a good idea. CONCLUSION: Obesity is screened for more often than EDs in college health centers. Understanding screening barriers will be beneficial in connecting students with obesity and/or EDs to care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of a translatable web-based intervention for increasing physical activity among cancer survivors: A pilot randomized trial (Preprint)

  2025-06-24

  preprintSenior author

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Cancer survivors often face long-term health challenges after treatment. Physical activity (PA) can help manage cancer-related side effects and offer additional health benefits, yet up to 80% of survivors do not meet PA guidelines. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a 12-week automated Internet program for increasing moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) among cancer survivors. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> The study included 46 adults (age: 55.2±8.3 years, BMI: 33.0±7.6 kg/m²; 91.3% female, 80.4% non-Hispanic White), randomized to the Energize! Exercise Program or Newsletter control condition. The Energize! Program involved weekly behaviorally-based video lessons, homework assignments, exercise planning and reporting, and progressive PA goals (75 to 200 min/week). Automated, personalized feedback was provided. The newsletter group received bi-monthly PA education newsletters (total of 6). Assessments occurred at baseline, 3 months (post-intervention), and 6 months (following a 3-month no-contact follow-up). Measures included self-reported PA, accelerometer-derived total and ‘bouted’ MVPA (≥10 minutes bouts), and health-related outcomes (e.g., quality-of-life, fatigue, psychological distress). </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> Retention rates (&gt;94%) and compliance to the Energize! program (73-86%) were excellent. Energize! increased self-reported (92.7 min/week), bouted (35.4 min/week), and total (46.3 min/wk) MVPA at 3 months (Cohen’s d=0.74-0.94), and these changes were partially maintained at 6 months. Increases in MVPA were smaller among Newsletter participants (Cohen’s d=0.28-0.47). Group differences in health-related outcomes were minimal and mixed. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> The automated Energize! Program is feasible, acceptable, and associated with positive changes in MVPA, yet future studies are needed to improve MVPA long-term. Findings suggest that self-guided PA programs may be beneficial for increasing MVPA among cancer survivors. </sec> <sec> <title>CLINICALTRIAL</title> Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT1850077 </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Memory of affective responses to physical activity (study 1) and a pilot intervention to reduce negative memory bias (study 2) in adults with overweight or obesity

  Psychology of sport and exercise · 2025-11-13

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Evaluation of Five Novel Intervention Components in Online Obesity Treatment: Outcomes of a Randomized Factorial Experiment

  Obesity · 2025-09-18 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to optimize weight loss outcomes in an online behavioral obesity treatment program by evaluating the effects of five novel intervention components using a factorial experiment informed by the multiphase optimization strategy framework. METHODS: A randomized factorial experiment tested 12-month weight loss resulting from an established online obesity treatment program with randomization to zero to five novel intervention components (interactive video feedback, tailored intervention to promote physical activity, skills for dysregulated eating, virtual reality skills training, and social support with friendly competition). RESULTS: were randomized. No intervention component independently improved weight loss (p values > 0.199). Interaction terms (p values < 0.01) suggest the combination of interactive video feedback, skills for dysregulated eating, and social support with friendly competition improved weight loss. Mediation analysis indicated that social support and dysregulated eating interventions influenced weight loss outcomes through improvements in social support for physical activity and dietary quality. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a combination of intervention components that may improve weight loss outcomes compared to the established online treatment program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04520256.

  PublisherDOI

• The moderating effects of child appetitive traits on the association between parental controlling feeding practices and child weight status at 18 and 24 months

  Appetite · 2025-06-26

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 23-OR: Benefit of an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention on All-Cause Mortality over Two Decades in Older Adults with Diabetes and Overweight/Obesity—The Look AHEAD Study

  Diabetes · 2025-06-13

  article

  Introduction and Objective: Look AHEAD, a randomized trial initiated in 2001 comparing intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) and diabetes support and education (DSE) in 5145 individuals with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes, found no significant differences in all-cause mortality during 10 yrs of intervention nor at 17 yrs of follow-up. The cohort has been followed continuously since the close of the trial in an observational study. Throughout this period, cumulative weight loss has been significantly greater in ILI than in DSE. Since effects of ILI may take many years to emerge, we pursued an intense mortality search, yielding 500 new deaths, and conducted an intent-to-treat analysis comparing mortality in ILI to DSE for a maximum of 23 yrs. Methods: The cohort of 5145 initially included adults aged 45-76 yrs, 59% female, 37% from underrepresented groups, and 14% with prior cardiovascular disease. Primary outcome for the current analysis was all-cause mortality from randomization to 23 yrs. Other outcomes included interactions by pre-specified subgroups. Analyses used proportional hazards regression and likelihood ratio tests. Results: A total of 1661 deaths were recorded (800 in ILI and 861 in DSE) across 80,725 person-yrs. The incidence of all-cause mortality was reduced in ILI relative to DSE (hazard ratio [HR] 0.89 [95% CI 0.81, 0.98]). There were no significant interactions between treatment and prespecified subgroups of age, sex, and cardiovascular disease history. However, race/ethnicity interacted with treatment (p = 0.01) yielding HRs for participants identifying as Hispanic 0.54 (CI 0.39, 0.74), Caucasian 0.94 (CI 0.84, 1.05), and African American 0.96 (CI 0.75, 1.23). Conclusion: ILI focused on weight loss modestly reduced long-term mortality risk in persons with diabetes and obesity/overweight, which appears to be driven by a strong reduction in mortality among participants of Hispanic ethnicity. Disclosure L.E. Wagenknecht: None. J.K. Evans: None. H. Chen: None. D.K. Houston: None. C. Semelka: None. T.D. Beckner: None. P.J. Huckfeldt: None. M.E. Salive: None. S.B. Kritchevsky: None. H.P. Hazuda: None. D.M. Reboussin: None. R.R. Wing: None. M. Espeland: Consultant; Nestlé Health Science. Other Relationship; AnnovisBio, Acumen. Funding National Institute of Aging (U01AG073697)

  PublisherDOI

• LIFE-Moms: effects of multicomponent lifestyle randomized control trial on physical activity during pregnancy in women with overweight and obesity

  International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · 2025-09-30 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: This report details the effect of LIFE-Mom's multicomponent lifestyle interventions on physical activity (PA) and inactivity time across pregnancy (2nd and 3rd trimesters) and their effect on gestational weight gain (GWG) and maternal/neonatal outcomes, a pre-specified secondary analysis. METHODS: were randomized to lifestyle interventions with dietary and PA counseling or standard care. PA and inactivity time measured by accelerometry and metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers measured in fasting blood are reported in 522 pregnant people at baseline and end of pregnancy. Generalized linear models with and without covariates were used to evaluate group differences (intervention vs. control) and, separately, time differences (total sample with both groups combined). RESULTS: Although there were statistically significant differences in vigorous activity between the intervention and control group (p = .024), there were no clinically meaningful differences in PA. In the combined sample, moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) significantly decreased across pregnancy (mean ± SD: 72.9 ± 29.1 min/day vs 63.9 ± 28.1 min/day; p < 0.0001), and inactivity time increased [617.5 min/day (573.5, 659.6) vs 630.4 min/day (56.7, 679.9); p < 0.0001]. Increased inactivity time was associated with a less favorable maternal milieu (biomarker Z-scores) for pro-inflammatory (0.2 ± 0.1; p = 0.003) and cardiometabolic markers (0.1 ± 0.07; p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity declined over the course of pregnancy, though the intervention group experienced a smaller reduction in activity levels. Our results linked increased inactivity time to maternal metabolic dysregulation and inflammation. Further research is needed to determine if intensive interventions reducing inactivity can improve maternal health and weight outcomes in pregnant people with overweight and obesity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01545934, NCT01616147, NCT01771133, NCT01631747, NCT01768793, NCT01610752, and NCT01812694.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluation of a Translatable Web-Based Intervention for Increasing Physical Activity Among Cancer Survivors: Pilot Randomized Trial

  JMIR Cancer · 2025-09-10

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Background: Cancer survivors face long-term health challenges posttreatment. Physical activity (PA) can help manage cancer-related side effects and offer additional health benefits, yet up to 80% of survivors do not meet PA guidelines. Effective and translatable PA interventions are needed. Objective: This randomized trial assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a 12-week automated Internet program for increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among cancer survivors. A secondary aim examined the effect of the intervention on physical and mental well-being. Methods: Inactive (<60 min/wk of PA) cancer survivors who completed cancer-directed treatment in the past 3-12 months or those on a stable maintenance treatment regimen were randomized to the Energize! Exercise Program or Newsletter control condition. The Energize! Program was fully automated and involved weekly behaviorally-based video lessons, homework assignments, exercise planning and reporting, and progressive MVPA goals (75 to 200 min/wk). Algorithm-generated personalized feedback was provided based on PA goal attainment and homework completion. The newsletter group received bimonthly PA education newsletters (a total of 6). Assessments occurred at baseline, 3 months (postintervention), and 6 months (following a 3-month no-contact follow-up). Feasibility was assessed via enrollment and retention rates, acceptability was assessed via intervention engagement metrics and program satisfaction questionnaire, and MVPA was assessed via both self-report and accelerometer (min/wk of total and "bouted" MVPA [accumulated in bouts ≥10 min]). Health-related outcomes (eg, quality of life, fatigue, psychological distress, psychological symptoms, and fear of cancer recurrence) were assessed via electronic questionnaires. Results: Forty-six adults aged 55.2 (SD 8.3) years, with BMI mean 33.0 (SD 7.6) kg/m²; 42 (91.3%) female, and 37 (80.4%) non-Hispanic White enrolled in this trial. Feasibility metrics indicate that 69% (46/67) of those who screened eligible were randomized and 6-month retention among randomized participants was 94% (43/46). Acceptability was also high, as evidenced by the percentage of lessons viewed (mean 87.7%, SD 21.3%), exercise plans submitted (mean 82.6%, SD 25.8%), homework assignments completed (mean 77.2%, SD 25.2%), and weeks in which exercise minutes were logged (mean 85.9%, SD 22.1%). Program satisfaction ratings were higher in Energize (mean 5.8, SD 1.6; 1-7 scale) versus Newsletter (mean 3.2, SD 1.6; P<.001). Energize! increased self-reported (92.7 min/wk), bouted (35.4 min/wk), and total (46.3 min/wk) MVPA at 3 months (Cohen d=0.74-0.94), and these changes were partially maintained at 6 months. Increases in MVPA were smaller among Newsletter participants (d=0.28-0.47). Group differences in health-related outcomes were minimal and mixed, favoring Energize! over Newsletter for vitality (d=0.63) and somatization (d=0.76) at 3 months, and for depression (d=0.59) and anxiety (d=0.51) at 6 months. Conclusions: The automated Energize! Program is feasible, acceptable, and associated with positive changes in MVPA, yet future studies are needed to improve MVPA long-term. Findings suggest that self-guided PA programs may be beneficial for increasing MVPA among cancer survivors.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant RC1HL100002

  NIH · $930k · 2012

• Training in Behavioral and Preventative Medicine

  NIH · $5.0M · 2006–2027

• NIH Grant U01CA150387

  NIH · $4.4M · 2015

• NIH Grant R01HL127341

  NIH · $2.9M · 2020

• 21/22 Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS) Phase 3 - One Year Extension - Clinical Center

  NIH · $16.8M · 1994–2023

Frequent coauthors

• Suzanne Phelan

  California Polytechnic State University

  333 shared

• J. Graham Thomas

  324 shared

• Dale S. Bond

  Hartford Hospital

  304 shared

• James O. Hill

  University of Alabama at Birmingham

  253 shared

• Elissa Jelalian

  Providence College

  236 shared

• Jeanne M. McCaffery

  231 shared

• Hollie A. Raynor

  Knoxville College

  229 shared

• Thomas A. Wadden

  186 shared

Labs

• Rena Wing's LabPI

  Not provided

Education

• Ph.D., Psychiatry

  Brown University

Awards & honors

• TOPS Award for Outstanding Achievement, North Atlantic Assoc…
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Dise…