An ACT-Based Physician-Delivered Weight Loss Intervention

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

TERMINATED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

87 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-05-07

Study Completion Date

2018-03-07

Brief Summary

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The purpose of the present study was to conduct a pilot RCT to test the feasibility of a physician-delivered ACT-based intervention for emotional eaters with overweight/obesity against standard care at a network of weight loss clinics. Participants were randomized to receive either standard care at the clinics or the ACT intervention.

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Detailed Description

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The purpose of the present study was to conduct a pilot RCT to test the feasibility of a physician-delivered ACT-based intervention for emotional eaters with overweight/obesity against standard care at a network of weight loss clinics. Psychology clinical PhD students trained physicians in the delivery of the brief manualized intervention and were available for regular consults. The intervention consisted of eight, 5-10 minute sessions that could be easily incorporated into the physician's current practice. Over the duration of the ACT intervention, physicians met individually with patients to teach them various techniques to address and improve mindfulness, acceptance, and values clarification and commitment, all of which emotional eaters have been found to struggle with (Forman \& Butryn, 2014). The proven habit formation technique of if-then planning (Gollwitzer, 1993) was used throughout these sessions in order to train emotional eaters to habitually use ACT techniques and to change the maladaptive habit of eating in response to negative emotions.

Conditions

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Overweight and Obesity Eating Behavior

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

The present study was a two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial.

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Participants were blind to their condition, but physicians and administrative staff were not blind to participant condition. Physicians were not blind to participant condition because they were responsible for delivering the ACT intervention or standard care. They were thus required to know the participant's condition in order to deliver the adequate treatment. Administrative staff was responsible for providing physicians with this information and organizing study paperwork and thus needed to be aware of participant condition as well.

Study Groups

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Standard Care

Participants in the standard care condition were provided with diet and exercise counselling and psychoeducation from their physicians over the course of 8 sessions, as was routinely done at the clinic. Standard care did not involve any targeted intervention to reduce emotional eating.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standard Care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

ACT Intervention

In addition to receiving standard care, participants in the ACT condition were taught techniques to reduce their emotional eating. Three overarching skills were taught over the course of the ACT intervention: (1) values clarification and commitment, (2) metacognitive awareness, and (3) distress tolerance. Throughout the sessions, physicians formed if-then plans with the patients to specify how to habitually use the ACT techniques to reduce emotional eating in their everyday lives. At the end of each session, participants were given a one-page homework sheet that asked them to monitor their behavior and their use of the ACT techniques during the week.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

ACT Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Standard Care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Interventions

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ACT Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Standard Care

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Only participants considered to be emotional eaters, as assessed by a score of 3.25 or higher on the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), were recruited for the study (van Strien, Herman, Anschutz, Engels, \& de Weerth, 2012).

Exclusion Criteria

* Not being an emotional eater.
* Participants who did not speak, write, and read in English fluently were excluded from the study, as well as those who were pregnant.

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes