Emotional eating is a behaviour that has been linked to weight concerns, mental health concerns, and disordered eating. Effective interventions have been developed to treat emotional eating, however these exist solely in the context of promoting weight loss. Emotional eating is not exclusive to those who struggle with weight and thus interventions are needed that target those who engage in emotional eating regardless of their weight status. The present study aims to do so through the implementation of a brief online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workshop for emotional eaters.
Emotional eating is defined as increased food consumption in response to negative emotions, and has been linked to weight concerns, mental health concerns, and disordered eating behaviours. Effective interventions have been developed that address emotional eating, namely to improve weight loss. Such interventions are based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which encourages tolerance of internal cues, such as emotions, and external cues, such as food. Previous studies have found that brief ACT interventions are effective for the reduction of emotional eating. Our laboratory has recently developed and pilot-tested a one-day ACT workshop intervention for emotional eating, which was found to be effective for reducing emotional eating and deemed feasible and acceptable by participants. The present study was developed with the aim to adapt the above mentioned workshop intervention to an online format in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The study aims to test the efficacy, feasibility and acceptability of a brief, online version of the above mentioned one-day ACT workshop for emotional eating. The workshops will be delivered through the Zoom online platform.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
30
This is a brief online intervention using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) technique to target and reduce emotional eating. The intervention will be modeled after Frayn and Knäuper's 1-day ACT workshop for emotional eating intervention, which was derived from Forman and colleagues' "Mind Your Health Program". During the workshop, the following topics will be discussed, based on the three processes of ACT: (1) values clarification/commitment, (2) acceptance/distress tolerance, and (3) mindfulness/awareness.
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Emotional Eating - Post-Intervention
Emotional eating, as assessed by the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire Emotional Eating Subscale (DEBQ-EE). Participants are asked to rate the frequency with which they engage in particular eating behaviours, on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale from never (1) to very often (5), with higher scores reflecting higher emotional eating. Only the emotional eating subscale of the DEBQ will be assessed and is calculated by averaging the 13 items that assess emotional eating.
Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
Emotional Eating - 2 weeks post-intervention
Emotional eating, as assessed by the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire Emotional Eating Subscale (DEBQ-EE). Participants are asked to rate the frequency with which they engage in particular eating behaviours, on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale from never (1) to very often (5), with higher scores reflecting higher emotional eating. Only the emotional eating subscale of the DEBQ will be assessed and is calculated by averaging the 13 items that assess emotional eating.
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
Emotional Eating - 3 months Post-Intervention
Emotional eating, as assessed by the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire Emotional Eating Subscale (DEBQ-EE). Participants are asked to rate the frequency with which they engage in particular eating behaviours, on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale from never (1) to very often (5), with higher scores reflecting higher emotional eating. Only the emotional eating subscale of the DEBQ will be assessed and is calculated by averaging the 13 items that assess emotional eating.
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
Distress Tolerance - Post-Intervention
Distress tolerance, as assessed by the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements aimed at assessing distress tolerance, absorption, appraisal, and regulation from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), with lower scores reflecting lower distress tolerance. Subscale scores are derived by calculating the means of the items that make up each subscale. Total score is calculating by averaging the four subscales.
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Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
Distress Tolerance - 2-weeks Post-Intervention
Distress tolerance, as assessed by the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements aimed at assessing distress tolerance, absorption, appraisal, and regulation from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), with lower scores reflecting lower distress tolerance. Subscale scores are derived by calculating the means of the items that make up each subscale. Total score is calculating by averaging the four subscales.
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
Distress Tolerance - 3-months Post-Intervention
Distress tolerance, as assessed by the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS). Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements aimed at assessing distress tolerance, absorption, appraisal, and regulation from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), with lower scores reflecting lower distress tolerance. Subscale scores are derived by calculating the means of the items that make up each subscale. Total score is calculating by averaging the four subscales.
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
Food Craving Acceptance and Action - Post-intervention
Food craving acceptance and action, as assessed by the Food Craving Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (FAAQ). Items are rated on a 6-point Likert-type rating scale from 1 (very seldom true) to 6 (always true), with higher scores reflecting higher acceptance. Total score is derived by summing all items. Minimum score is 10 and maximum score is 60.
Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
Food Craving Acceptance and Action - 2-weeks Post-intervention
Food craving acceptance and action, as assessed by the Food Craving Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (FAAQ). Items are rated on a 6-point Likert-type rating scale from 1 (very seldom true) to 6 (always true), with higher scores reflecting higher acceptance. Total score is derived by summing all items. Minimum score is 10 and maximum score is 60.
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
Food Craving Acceptance and Action - 3-months Post-intervention
Food craving acceptance and action, as assessed by the Food Craving Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (FAAQ). Items are rated on a 6-point Likert-type rating scale from 1 (very seldom true) to 6 (always true), with higher scores reflecting higher acceptance. Total score is derived by summing all items. Minimum score is 10 and maximum score is 60.
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
Mindful Eating - Post-Intervention
Mindful eating, as assessed by the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ). It is a 28-item self-report measure that assesses five domains of mindful eating: disinhibition, external cues, awareness, emotional response and distraction. Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which extent they agree with each item from 1 ("never" / "rarely") to 4 ("usually"/ "always"), with higher scores reflecting higher levels of mindful eating. Total score is derived by taking the mean of the five subscales.
Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
Mindful Eating - 2-weeks Post-Intervention
Mindful eating, as assessed by the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ). It is a 28-item self-report measure that assesses five domains of mindful eating: disinhibition, external cues, awareness, emotional response and distraction. Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which extent they agree with each item from 1 ("never" / "rarely") to 4 ("usually"/ "always"), with higher scores reflecting higher levels of mindful eating. Total score is derived by taking the mean of the five subscales.
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
Mindful Eating - 3-months Post-Intervention
Mindful eating, as assessed by the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ). It is a 28-item self-report measure that assesses five domains of mindful eating: disinhibition, external cues, awareness, emotional response and distraction. Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which extent they agree with each item from 1 ("never" / "rarely") to 4 ("usually"/ "always"), with higher scores reflecting higher levels of mindful eating. Total score is derived by taking the mean of the five subscales.
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
ACT Values Application - Post-intervention
Application of ACT values techniques taught during the workshop, as assessed by items developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with a number of value-based statements on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Values score was derived by taking the mean of the items, with higher scores reflecting greater value-consistent eating behaviors.
Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
ACT Values Application - 2-weeks Post-intervention
Application of ACT values techniques taught during the workshop, as assessed by items developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with a number of value-based statements on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Values score was derived by taking the mean of the items, with higher scores reflecting greater value-consistent eating behaviors.
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
ACT Values Application - 3-months Post-intervention
Application of ACT values techniques taught during the workshop, as assessed by items developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to rate the extent to which they agreed with a number of value-based statements on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Values score was derived by taking the mean of the items, with higher scores reflecting greater value-consistent eating behaviors.
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
Emotional Eating Frequency - Post-intervention
As assessed by a self-report item developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to report the number of times they engaged in emotional eating in the past week.
Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
Emotional Eating Frequency - 2-weeks Post-intervention
As assessed by a self-report item developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to report the number of times they engaged in emotional eating in the past week.
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
Emotional Eating Frequency - 3-months Post-intervention
As assessed by a self-report item developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to report the number of times they engaged in emotional eating in the past week.
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
Ability to Stop Emotional Eating - Post-intervention
As assessed by a single self-report item developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to report the number of instances in which they began to engage in emotional eating and were able to stop themselves, on a scale from 1 (none of the time) to 5 (very often).
Time frame: Assessed at post-intervention (1 week following the first session)
Ability to Stop Emotional Eating - 2-weeks Post-intervention
As assessed by a single self-report item developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to report the number of instances in which they began to engage in emotional eating and were able to stop themselves, on a scale from 1 (none of the time) to 5 (very often).
Time frame: Assessed 2-weeks following the second (last) session
Ability to Stop Emotional Eating - 3-months Post-intervention
As assessed by a single self-report item developed by the study's authors. Participants were asked to report the number of instances in which they began to engage in emotional eating and were able to stop themselves, on a scale from 1 (none of the time) to 5 (very often).
Time frame: Assessed 3-months following the second (last) session
Feasibility Data: Recruitment Rates
Overall number of participants who expressed interest in the workshop over the recruitment period.
Time frame: Assessed during the recruitment period (i.e. over a period of 2 months)
Feasibility Data: Workshop Attendance Rates
Number of participants who received the intervention (i.e. who attended both workshop sessions) out of the number of participants who signed up.
Time frame: Assessed during the treatment period: from baseline to post-treatment (i.e. over the course of 1 week).
Feasibility Data: Dropout Rates
Number of participants who have dropped out or withdrawn from the study at any time point from baseline assessment to last follow-up assessment. Number of dropouts and withdrawals will be kept track of at each study time-point.
Time frame: Assessed from baseline to the 3-month follow-up assessment.
Feasibility Data: Loss-to-Follow-Up Rates
Number of participants (out of those who have attended the workshop) who have not completed the follow-up questionnaire(s). The number of participants with missing follow-up data will be kept track of at all follow-up time points (post-treatment, 2-week follow-up, and 3-month follow-up).
Time frame: Assessed at the 2-week follow-up time point and the 3-month follow-up time point.