Computer-delivered intervention for individuals with obesity and elevated anxiety sensitivity: feasibility,...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Obesity is a growing public health concern linked to chronic diseases and mood disturbances.
• Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a vulnerability factor associated with both obesity and negative affect.
• Targeting shared underlying processes like AS may offer a novel approach to managing obesity and affective issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a brief, computer-delivered anxiety sensitivity reduction program (AST) for adults with obesity and elevated AS.
• To evaluate the program's impact on anxiety sensitivity, emotional eating, eating expectancies, and exercise self-efficacy.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 131 adults with obesity and elevated AS.
• Participants were assigned to either the AST program or a health information control (HC).
• Latent growth curve modeling analyzed changes in key variables from baseline to 1-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Recruitment and retention were feasible for the AST and HC groups through the 1-month follow-up.
• Both AST and HC received positive qualitative feedback.
• AST significantly predicted changes in expectancies of eating to manage negative affect; other effects were not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• The computer-delivered AST program is a feasible intervention for individuals with obesity and high anxiety sensitivity.
• Initial findings suggest potential benefits for modifying eating expectancies related to negative affect.
• Further research is warranted to explore the efficacy of AST in this population.