Helping young weight controllers develop healthy obsessions: preliminary test of the Healthy Obsession Model

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Obesity Research

Background:

• The Healthy Obsession Model suggests successful weight management requires preoccupation with target behaviors like diet, activity, and self-monitoring.
• This model predicts that barriers to these behaviors should cause distress, motivating individuals to resume them.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of abruptly removing self-monitoring on the moods of obese adolescents in a weight loss program.
• To test predictions of the Healthy Obsession Model regarding distress and commitment.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-five obese adolescents in a weight loss camp received cognitive-behavioral therapy.
• Self-monitoring journals were unexpectedly removed for one day after three days of mood and behavior monitoring.
• Moods were assessed daily using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule by both campers and staff.

Main Results:

• Staff-rated positive affect decreased significantly when self-monitoring journals were removed.
• Adolescents showing higher commitment (more activity, journal entries) reacted more negatively to the removal.
• Adolescents' self-reported mood ratings did not fully support the Healthy Obsession Model's predictions.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary findings support the Healthy Obsession Model by demonstrating negative mood reactions to the withdrawal of self-monitoring.
• The negative impact was more pronounced in adolescents with higher commitment to the weight loss program.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the model's applicability and the discrepancies in self- and staff-reported moods.