Online Group Programme on Mindful Eating During Medication-Supported Weight Loss

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Digital Mindfulness-Based Nutrition Group Intervention During Pharmacological Treatment for Weight Reduction

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a digitally delivered, mindfulness-based nutrition group program for adults with obesity who are taking GLP-1 receptor agonist medication and receiving usual medical care, including dietetic counselling.

The main questions this study aims to answer are:

Can this online group program be successfully delivered to adults receiving GLP-1 treatment? Do participants find the program useful, acceptable, and easy to engage with? Are participants willing to attend the online sessions, complete the home exercises, and complete the study questionnaires?

Researchers will compare participants who receive the online mindfulness-based nutrition group program in addition to usual care with participants who receive usual care alone.

Participants in the intervention group will take part in a 16-week online program consisting of nine live group sessions delivered via videoconference. They will practice mindful eating, mindfulness exercises, reflective journaling, and peer discussion. All participants will complete online questionnaires and body measurements at baseline, after 16 weeks, and 12 months after the start of the study.

This study does not evaluate a new drug or medical device. The study team will not make decisions regarding participants' GLP-1 medication. All medication management remains part of routine medical care.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Emotional Eating; Obesity & Overweight; Emotional Eating Behaviour; Online Intervention
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Online Group Intervention on Mindful Eating

Detailed Description

This is a pilot, randomized, controlled, open-label, two-arm feasibility trial evaluating a digitally delivered mindfulness-based nutrition group program as an adjunct to standard care in adults with obesity receiving incretin-based pharmacotherapy for weight loss. The trial aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and study procedures and to generate preliminary data to inform the design of a future fully powered randomized controlled trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Leonie H Bogl, PhD; Phone Number: +41 31 848 47 12; Email: leonie-helen.bogl@bfh.ch

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Sufficient German language skills, informed consent, and willingness to participate in a 16-week online program.

Exclusion Criteria:

Recent diagnosis of diabetes, pregnancy or intention to become pregnant, breastfeeding, substance use, untreated thyroid disorders and severe psychiatric conditions (e.g., psychosis, major depression, binge eating disorder) and the previous participation of a mindfulness intervention. No vulnerable populations are specifically targeted or expected to be included.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; The control group will receive usual care with standard dietetic counselling. At baseline and post-intervention, standardized questionnaires will be administered to assess changes in psychosocial, emotional, and behavioural variables, including emotion regulation, self-stigma, eating behaviour, and quality of life. Body weight will also be recorded.
Experimental: Online Group Intervention on Mindful Eating; Participants in this arm will receive usual care and take part in a 16-week online mindfulness-based nutrition group intervention in addition to their pharmacological treatment for weight reduction.	Behavioral: Online Group Intervention on Mindful Eating; The intervention group will participate in a 16-week online intervention with nine group sessions, led by a certified nutritionist and lecturer in nutrition psychology with expertise in obesity counseling and mindfulness-based interventions. The first four sessions will be held weekly. Thereafter, the intervals between sessions will be extended as the intervention incorporates additional components such as daily mindfulness exercises, journaling, and tandem peer support. Specifically, from session 4 onward, tandem exchange groups will be implemented and in group session 6, the digital application "insight timer" will be introduced. The app includes guided meditations and exercises designed to enhance emotional awareness and support self-regulation in participants' daily lives. Each group therapy session will include theoretical input, guided practices in meditation and mindful eating & take-home messages.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Recruitment rate	The number of participants enrolled per month over the recruitment period, calculated as: total enrolled ÷ number of recruitment months	From start of recruitment to completion of recruitment
Randomization acceptance	This will be assessed by reporting the number of participants successfully randomized, any technical or procedural issues during the allocation process, and the number of participants who withdraw after allocation. Post-randomization attrition will also be described by study arm to explore whether allocation to the control group affected continued study participation	At week 16 (±2-weeks)
Retention rate	The number of participants who complete the post-intervention assessment, regardless of how many mindfulness sessions they attended. It is calculated as the percentage of participants who completed pre- and post-intervention assessments divided by the number randomized.	At week 16 (±2-weeks)
Group session attendance & adherence	Attendance will be assessed as an indicator of feasibility and participant engagement. The mean number of sessions attended across all participants will be calculated, with a target mean attendance of at least 7 out of 9 sessions to indicate acceptable engagement. Adherence will be evaluated via an adherence questionnaire post-intervention documenting daily mindfulness exercises, tandem meetings, and reflection diary.	At week 16 (±2-weeks)
Data completion	This will be evaluated based on the proportion of fully completed questionnaires at baseline and at the 16-week post-intervention assessment. Questionnaires classified as priority 1 are expected to be completed by at least 90% of participants. The remaining questionnaires are anticipated to have a completion rate of at least 75%. Similarly, it is expected that at least 75% of participants will attend the post-intervention visit. Reasons for drop-out will be evaluated if consent is given.	At week 16 (±2-weeks)
Acceptability of the intervention	Acceptability will be assessed using participant feedback collected through structured questionnaires and qualitative interviews following the intervention. Questionnaires may include Likert-scale items on satisfaction, perceived relevance, setting, and willingness to recommend the intervention to others.	At week 16 (±2-weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Bern University of Applied Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): August 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 15, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 15, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 8, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: obesity; mindfulness; feasibility study; online intervention; acceptability; group therapy; midnful eating; incretin-based therapy; dietetic counselling; recruitement rate
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Feeding Behavior; Overweight; Obesity; Emotional Eating
• Other Study ID Numbers: SOULFOOD-ONLINE-2026

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