Proof-of-concept testing of a brief virtual ACT workshop for emotional eating

Abstract

BackgroundEmotional eating, or eating in response to negative emotions, is a commonly reported short-term emotion regulation strategy but has been shown to be ineffective in the long term. Most emotional eating interventions based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) have been delivered in the context of weight loss trials, highlighting a need for ACT-based emotional eating interventions in weight-neutral contexts. AimsThis proof-of-concept study aimed to test the acceptability and efficacy potential of a brief virtual ACT workshop for emotional eating in a small sample of adults identifying as emotional eaters. MethodsTwenty-six adult emotional eaters completed an ACT workshop delivered in two 1.5-hour sessions over two weeks. The workshop targeted awareness and acceptance of emotions and eating urges, and valued actions around eating. ResultsThe acceptability of the workshop was demonstrated by high participant satisfaction. Significant improvements on all outcome measures were found and maintained up to 3 months follow-up. ConclusionsThese proof-of-concept findings suggest that a brief virtual ACT workshop may improve emotional eating and associated ACT processes. Results from this study can inform a future randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the workshop and the role of theoretical processes of change. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04457804 Level of evidenceLevel IV, evidence obtained from multiple time series with the intervention