Carry-Over of Self-Regulation for Physical Activity to Self-Regulating Eating in Women With Morbid Obesity

Abstract

Poor outcomes from behavioral treatments of severe obesity have led to a dependence on invasive medical interventions, including surgery for morbidly obese individuals. Improved methods to self-regulate eating will be required to reduce obesity. The use of self-regulation methods for completing physical activity may carry over to increased self-regulation for eating through improved feelings of competence (self-efficacy) and mood. The study recruited women (Meanage = 43 years) with morbid obesity (MeanBMI = 44 kg/m(2)) to participate in 26 weeks of cognitive-behavioral support of physical activity paired with either nutrition education (n = 51) or cognitive-behavioral nutrition (n = 51) methods. Data collected were from 2011 and 2012. Significant improvements in self-regulation for physical activity, self-regulation for eating, overall mood, and self-efficacy for eating, with greater improvement in self-regulation for eating, were observed in the cognitive-behavioral nutrition group. Changes in mood and self-efficacy for eating significantly mediated the relationship between changes in self-regulation for physical activity and self-regulation for eating. When subscales of overall mood and self-efficacy were entered into separate regression equations as mediators, the only significant mediators were vigor, and controlling eating when socially pressured and when increased cues to overeat were present.

Pilot Testing a Cognitive-Behavioral Protocol on Psychosocial Predictors of Exercise, Nutrition, Weight, and Body Satisfaction Changes in a College-Level Health-Related Fitness Course

“…35,36 Most recently, The Coach Approach was assessed for its effects on weight management. 32,[37][38][39] When the associated self-regulatory skills and self-efficacy for exercise were leveraged to generalize to key eating changes such as fruit and vegetable consumption, weight loss was better attained than with more typical nutrition information approaches. 32,[37][38][39] Also, exercise-induced mood changes appeared to reduce emotional eating in obese women.…”

“…32,[37][38][39] When the associated self-regulatory skills and self-efficacy for exercise were leveraged to generalize to key eating changes such as fruit and vegetable consumption, weight loss was better attained than with more typical nutrition information approaches. 32,[37][38][39] Also, exercise-induced mood changes appeared to reduce emotional eating in obese women. 32,[40][41][42] If evidence-based treatments such as The Coach Approach could be adapted for use in college/university health-related fitness courses, in addition to providing education in current research on exercise and nutrition, such courses would improve psychosocial, behavioral, and health outcomes in students in need of them.…”

Contrasting university-based and older-age samples on weight-loss effects and their behavioral and psychosocial predictors associated with the Weight Loss For Life protocol

“…Within those validated behavior recall surveys, previously used in related research (16), examples of fruit/vegetable serv ings (e.g., 1 small apple; 118 mL fruit juice; 118 mL carrots) and physical activity intensities (3 METs [mild activity; e.g., easy walking] to 9 METS [vigorous activity; e.g., running]) were given.…”

“…For the primary analysis of multiple regression models with 5 predictors, the anticipated effect size of f 2 = .25 (estimated from pilot research) at the statistiThe self-regulation for physical activity and self-regulation for eating scales each had 10 items that assessed use of specific self-regulatory skills (e.g., "I make formal agreements with myself to be physically active"; "I keep a record of my eating") using a scale of: 1 = never to 5 = often (16). Self-efficacy for physical activity was measured by the 5-item Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (e.g., "I can persist with exercising when I have more enjoyable things to do") using a scale of: 1 = not at all confident to 11 = very confident (17).…”

“…Group was then entered in step 2 of those models. Considering previous research and suggestions (16), and an absence of floor and ceiling effects, unadjusted change scores were used rather than residualized change values or analysis of covariance. Using a bootstrap procedure with 20,000 resamples (28), additional regression models were specified that separately assessed the mediation of relationships between mood change and changes in consumption of sweets and fruits/vegetables, by change in emotional eating.…”