Healthy Lifestyle Deck of cards as a tool for cognitive-behavioral therapy in adults with obesity

Abstract

Objective This is a mixed-methodology controlled clinical study that assessed the effect of the Health Lifestyle Deck of cards as a Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy tool for obese adults. Method The sample was divided into two groups: Intervention group and Intervention+Deck. The therapy was interdisciplinary handled by psychology, nutrition and physical education professionals, along 12 sessions. The following measures were performed: anthropometric assessment, indicators of binge eating, depression, anxiety and stress, quality of life, self-efficacy for eating habits, and physical activity at the beginning and the end of the intervention. Participants’ written and verbal reports’ content was analyzed. Results The results were: a reduction in body mass, binge eating, and improvement of self-efficacy to regulate eating habits in both groups. There was an improvement in the psychological domain of quality of life only in the Intervention+Deck group. Conclusion The study concluded that the intervention favored participants’ cognitive and behavioral changes.