A Single Session Self-guided Acceptance-based Digital Intervention Targeting Food Cravings in Pregnancy

Overview

Pregnancy is a time of heightened risk for disordered eating behaviors, which have been linked to adverse health outcomes in gestation, delivery, and the postpartum. These adverse outcomes may at least in part be mediated by greater risk of deviation from recommended gestational weight gain trajectories, especially in those engaged in binge and loss of control eating. This study will explore the efficacy of a single-session, self-guided online acceptance-based intervention targeting food cravings as powerful and modifiable predictors of binge and LOC eating in pregnancy.

Pregnancy is a time of heightened risk for disordered eating behaviors, which have been linked to a range of adverse health outcomes in pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum. These adverse outcomes may at least in part be mediated by greater rates of deviation from recommended weight gain trajectories, especially in those engaged in binge and loss of control eating. Food cravings are powerful triggers of binge and loss of control eating in non-pregnant populations with preliminary evidence linking cravings to disordered eating behaviors and greater weight gain in pregnancy as well. This study builds on preliminary evidence to suggest that acceptance-based approaches are effective in reducing the adverse impacts of cravings on behavior by exploring the efficacy of a single-session, self-guided online acceptance-based intervention targeting food cravings in pregnant participants as predictors of maladaptive eating behaviors and deviations from recommended gestational weight gain trajectories. The efficacy of a single-session, self-guided online acceptance-based intervention targeting food cravings in pregnant participants will be examined in a randomized controlled trial. Pregnant individuals in the second trimester (n = 130) who endorse current cravings will be randomly assigned to the intervention or an untreated control group. The intervention group will participate in a single-session, self-guided online workshop imparting skills grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, including acceptance, defusion, and present-moment awareness. Both groups will complete comprehensive assessments at baseline, one-month follow-up, and at full-term. The results of this initial efficacy trial will inform the integration of acceptance-based self-guided health coaching targeting food cravings into routine prenatal care to prevent adverse outcomes associated with disordered eating behaviors in pregnancy.