Wellness Education Intervention
Condition: Overweight and Obesity; Eating Disorders; Depression, Anxiety
MeSH terms: Overweight; Feeding and Eating Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Individuals suffering from depression and anxiety have an increased risk of obesity due to
      multiple factors such as side effects to psychotropic medications, associated appetite
      dysregulation, disruption of sleep, anergia leading to psychomotor retardation or inactivity,
      and increased stress hormones through the disruption in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
      (HPA) axis. Though not a causal relationship, an intimate bidirectional connection exists
      between the two conditions, which subsequently impacts the journey of weight loss. The impact
      mental health can have on weight loss is evident as concurrent depression and anxiety in
      individuals with obesity predicts poorer outcomes like decreased adherence and less success
      with weight loss interventions. Here, we will determine if delivery of psychoeducation
      regarding the primitive brain and model of safety in a group setting to those with obesity
      seeking weight loss intervention has an impact on not only psychiatric symptoms of depression
      and anxiety but also weight loss, eating behaviors, sleeping patterns, activity level, and
      health-related quality of life. This project will improve our understanding of the role of
      mental health and the stress response in obesity.
    

Detailed description: 
      This project will recruit subjects seeking weight loss in the Dallas Fort Worth area. A
      screen consisting of patient's weight and height to calculate a patient's BMI will be
      completed. Pre-assessment measures of anxiety, depression, eating disorder symptoms, sleep,
      self-efficacy, quality of life, and weight-wellness related behaviors (sleeping patterns,
      exercise patterns, eating patterns) will be completed before the intervention using a secure
      online link to RedCap. Participants will then attend eight weekly sessions of a group
      psychoeducational intervention. The intervention includes eight modules of various topics
      including the psychoeducation on the primitive brain model, motivation, goal-setting,
      affirmations, rewards, promoting autonomy, reducing guilt, and relapse prevention.
      Participants will complete homework assignments, share their work with the group to elicit
      feedback, and participate in guided discussions. Post-assessments will be completed 1-4 weeks
      and 3-5 months after the interventions is completed. These measures will determine (1) if
      psychological symptoms are responsive to the intervention, and (2) if clinical symptom
      changes related to weight and quality of life are affected.
    

Intervention name(s): Wellness Education
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Psychoeducation on relationships between mood, anxiety, eating, and exercise behaviors. One one-hour session each week for 8 weeks.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: Pilot study to examine acceptability, feasibility, and explore clinical responses related to wellness behaviors and quality of life.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment