The Role of Values, Acceptance, and Mindfulness Strategies in Long Term Weight Management

Obesity is a prevalent, destructive, and costly chronic disease. In 2008, 37% of Canadian adults were measured as overweight, and 25% as obese. Obesity is a risk factor for a number of serious health problems, including type 2 diabetes, asthma, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, chronic back pain, several types of cancers (i.e., colorectal, kidney, breast, endometrial, ovarian and pancreatic cancers) and cardiovascular disease (i.e., hypertension, stroke, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease). In 2008, it was estimated that the annual economic burden of obesity in Canada was $4.6 billion. Given the economic strain and widespread health risks of obesity, there is a clear need to provide effective interventions for obesity.

The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the role of ACT-based interventions in long-term weight maintenance. The proposed study will examine the role of value consistent behaviour, acceptance skills, and mindfulness skills in promoting long-term weight-related health behaviours. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an empirically supported psychological intervention that emphasizes value consistent behaviours, acceptance skills and mindfulness skills.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Detailed Description

Participants will be recruited from the weight loss surgery waitlist and randomly assigned to a brief (5 sessions) ACT intervention or to waitlist control group. A mobile app will be used to encourage daily ACT skill practice and track health behaviours over time. The primary objective of the proposed project is to test whether a brief ACT intervention can result in sustained weight management (at 6 months and 1 year) compared to a waitlist control group. If this brief format of ACT intervention for obesity proves to be effective in encouraging health behaviours and weight loss, it may provide a low cost, sustainable option to enhance much needed obesity management services in Nova Scotia.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 34
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Nova Scotia
    • Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
      • Weight Loss Surgery - Nova Scotia Health Authority

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 19 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• BMI above 30 who are participating in Weight Loss Surgery program at the Nova Scotia Health Authority

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; ACT intervention	Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; weight-related interventions using values, acceptance, and mindfulness based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
health behaviours (self-report questionnaires)	engagement in weight related health behaviours (i.e., dietary choices)	5 years
health behaviours (self-report questionnaires)	engagement in weight related health behaviours (i.e., physical activity)	5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
acceptance (self-report questionnaire)	ability to acknowledge and tolerate distressing thoughts, feelings, and sensations (total score is used)	5 years
mindfulness (self-report questionnaire)	ability to engage in purposeful, present-moment awareness	5 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Nova Scotia Health Authority
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dayna Lee-Baggley, Nova Scotia Health Authority

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lillis J, Hayes SC, Bunting K, Masuda A. Teaching acceptance and mindfulness to improve the lives of the obese: a preliminary test of a theoretical model. Ann Behav Med. 2009 Feb;37(1):58-69. doi: 10.1007/s12160-009-9083-x. Epub 2009 Feb 28.
• Forman EM, Butryn ML. A new look at the science of weight control: how acceptance and commitment strategies can address the challenge of self-regulation. Appetite. 2015 Jan;84:171-80. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.10.004. Epub 2014 Oct 16.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 21, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 8, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 20, 2016
• First Posted (Estimated): April 25, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 5, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 3168

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No