DREXEL UNIVERSITY
Grant: $229,500 - National Institutes of Health - May. 29, 2009
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Award Description: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of traditional behavioral therapy (based on Brownell's LEARN program for weight management, 2000) with acceptance-based therapy (based on the behavioral and nutritional components of LEARN) for weight loss. Brownell?s LEARN program is considered the ?gold standard? cognitive-behavioral treatment for weight loss, and is used in both research and clinical settings. LEARN focuses on modifying eating, thinking, and activity levels. Participants limit their daily caloric intake, keep food records, increase physical activity, and practice weight control behaviors, such as stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, alternative coping skills, and distinguishing hunger from cravings. The acceptance-based approach to LEARN incorporates the behavioral and nutritional components, but replaced the cognitive and motivational components with components that are consistent with an acceptance-based approach, such as acceptance and willingness to experience cravings, cognitive defusion, mindfulness training to interrupt automatic eating, and values work. These components are drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999), a cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been gaining increasing attention and empirical support (Bach & Hayes, 2002; Bond & Bunce, 2000; Hayes et al. 2004). Though relatively new, acceptance-based strategies have demonstrated effectiveness in helping individuals to respond to unwanted thoughts and feelings (Hayes, Rissett, Korn, Zettle, Rosenfarb, Cooper, & Grundt, 1999, Keogh, Bond, Hanmer, & Tilston, 2005) and offer a novel alternative to control-based strategies (such as distraction and confrontation). Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to either the traditional behavioral therapy condition (LEARN-A) or the acceptance-based behavioral therapy condition (LEARN-B). Both conditions are delivered in group format. Sessions are approximately 50 minutes and take place once a week for 20 weeks, and bi-weekly for an additional 20 weeks.Specifically, this study aims to test the hypothesis that the acceptance-based behavioral treatment condition will produce significantly greater increases in weight loss over a 6 month follow-up period than observed in the LEARN manual condition. Second of all, it also aims to test the hypothesis that participants assigned to the acceptance-based behavioral treatment condition will show significantly greater adherence to recommended behavioral changes (e.g., decreases in total energy intake, in percentage of calories from fat; increases in fruit, vegetable, and fiber intake, and increases in physical activity) than those in the LEARN manual condition. Last of all, it aims to test the hypothesis that participants assigned to the acceptance-based behavioral treatment condition will show significantly greater increases in quality of life than participants in the LEARN manual condition.
Project Description: The study is in the process of recruitment for its first wave of participants. Participants are currently being recruited via various sources of advertising, coming to orientation sessions, and being screened thoroughly for eligibility. Weekly group treatment sessions will be starting in the first week of November, 2009.
Jobs Summary: None at present (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on May. 29, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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