Abstract
This Randomized Controlled Trial [(RCT) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention combined with treatment as usual (TAU) compared to TAU only in improving psychological conditions in a sample of adolescents with obesity (body mass index, BMI > 97th percentile for age and sex) within the context of a wider multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight loss. Fifty consecutive adolescents (12–17 years) of both genders with obesity will be recruited among the patients hospitalized in a clinical center for obesity rehabilitation and randomly allocated into two experimental conditions: ACT + TAU vs. TAU only. Both groups will attend a three-week in-hospital multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight loss. The ACT + TAU condition comprises a psychological intervention based on ACT combined with a standard psychological assessment and support to the hospitalization. The TAU comprises the standard psychological assessment and support to the hospitalization. At pre- to post-psychological intervention, participants will complete the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth, the Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Emotional Eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire to assess psychological well-being as the primary outcome and experiential avoidance, psychological distress, emotional dysregulation, and emotional eating as secondary outcomes. Repeated-measures ANOVAs (2 × 2) will be conducted. The study will assess the effectiveness of a brief ACT-based intervention for adolescents with obesity in improving their psychological conditions by targeting specific core processes of the ACT framework (openness, awareness, and engagement). Future directions of the study will assess whether these psychological processes will contribute to addressing long-term weight loss.
Highlights
Obesity in childhood and adolescence is becoming a major public health concern
A superiority Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with parallel groups will be conducted with an ACT-based intervention plus treatment as usual (TAU) compared with TAU only for adolescents with obesity attending a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight loss
Participants will be consecutively recruited at the admission to the division of Auxology, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Piancavallo (VB), which is located in the NorthWest of Italy, a specialized clinical center [i.e., third level] for weight loss and obesity rehabilitation
Summary
Obesity in childhood and adolescence is becoming a major public health concern. In this respect, recent estimates pointed out that globally, 124 million children and adolescents, aged between 5 and 19 years, were obese [1] In Europe, the prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents aged between 5 and 19 years is reported around 19%, with a higher prevalence in southern European countries [2]. The model suggests that values clarity and behavioral commitment [to connect healthy eating habits to important life values], awareness [of their automatic thoughts], and distress tolerance [negative internal states] are specific self-regulation skills that can help individuals to deal with difficult emotions and control for their behaviors. Such skills are the main focus of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. ACT-based psychological intervention, compared to TAU in improving psychological conditions in a sample of adolescents with obesity attending a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight loss
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