Managing Our Relationship With Food and Eating
Condition: Mental Health Wellness 1; Eating Behavior; Stress, Psychological; Eating Habit
MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      There is a need for population-level intervention research to address the impacts of the
      COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating and unhealthy eating behaviours. Systematic reviews
      have demonstrated that psychotherapy and yoga can help to reduce binge eating and disordered
      eating habits, however, these interventions were tested in person. Studies examining the
      effectiveness of these interventions in an online, group-based format are warranted. In 2019,
      the investigators launched a RCT to test gender-stratified group interventions to address
      mental health and addictive behaviours among community-based adults in southern Alberta. The
      investigators implemented this intervention with more than 200 adults in person before this
      study was paused due to COVID-19; In 2020, the investigators adapted this intervention for
      online delivery to 200 community-dwelling women across Alberta. The most recent iteration of
      this study indicated the participants were particularly concerned about their relationship
      with food and how they were engaging in different eating behaviours to cope with the stress
      of COVID-19.
    

Detailed description: 
      The primary objective of this project is to adapt two existing mental health and substance
      use interventions and RCT for online delivery to address unhealthy eating behaviours and a
      negative relationship with food for women within the context of COVID-19. The second
      objective is to test if an online group body-oriented intervention (trauma-sensitive yoga)
      that has been designed to increase awareness of physical sensations, is superior to an online
      group verbal narrative intervention (mental wellness talking circle), and to control group.
      The investigators theorize that the body-oriented intervention may offer the opportunity to
      reprogram automatic physiologic hyperarousal in response to COVID-19 triggers and increase
      positive body awareness, and mindful attention to the ways in which habitual self-protective
      behaviours, like unhealthy eating behaviours, may be impacting health. The third objective is
      to examine the impacts of the interventions on adults with pre-existing mental health and
      disordered eating issues, and those with previous experiences that may make them more
      susceptible to these problems during COVID-19. The investigators will track other supports
      they engage in during the study and the perceived impacts of these supports on their outcomes
      with the goal of shedding light on how to best match COVID-19 related services to adults who
      need them the most.
    

Intervention name(s): Trauma Informed Yoga; Trauma Informed Psychotherapy
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): One licensed yoga instructor, trained in trauma-informed yoga delivery, will lead the online sessions. Participants will be instructed to engage in the class from a mat or chair in their home or move between them as the class unfolds. The instructor will begin the class by introducing the week's theme (e.g. grounding and safety, non-attachment, imprints of the past and impacts on our reactions to COVID-19, connection to nature), followed by a breath practice (10 min), a yoga practice (50 min), a meditation practice (10 min), and closing words (10 min).; Two licensed counsellors (MSW-trained) will co-facilitate the online version of this program. Facilitators will begin the session by introducing the week's theme (e.g. setting goals while working from home, being mindful, health coping) (10 min), followed by a lecture and activity to integrate learning (e.g. large and small group discussion using Zoom break out rooms, journaling) (70 min), and closing words (10 min).
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment