Developing a Web-Based Intervention to Teach ‘Intuitive Eating' Skills for Long-Term Weight Management

Introduction: For overweight or obese adults, restricting food intake (‘dieting’) often results in short-term weight loss, but is not effective for long-term weight management.  Eating in accordance with hunger and satiety signals (‘intuitive eating’) is associated with weight stability.  Intuitive eating skills can be effectively taught in a group setting; however, it is not known if intuitive eating skills can be effectively taught online.

Aims: Researchers developed a web-based intuitive eating intervention for mid-age New Zealand women, as this group is at high-risk for weight gain and weight-related health issues.  During Phase I, all intervention material was pre-tested with the target population using PowerPoint mock ups. The intervention content was also peer-reviewed.  The result is ‘Mind, Body, Food’ - a web app that teaches intuitive eating skills in 12 modules.  Modules cover topics such as recognising and responding to feelings of hunger and fullness, coping with cravings, and reducing emotional eating.  The intervention also features a self-monitoring tool for recording eating experiences (i.e., feelings of hunger/fullness before and after eating, mindfulness while eating).  

The purpose of this presentation is to present preliminary findings from Phase II - a pilot study testing the acceptability and usability of a web-based prototype of ‘Mind, Body, Food’ and the effects of the intervention on body weight and intuitive eating (measured using the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES); Tylka, 2006).

Method: In August 2014, a sample (n=50) of overweight (body mass index > 27) New Zealand women (40-50 years, inclusive) who have a low tendency to eat intuitively (IES score < 65) were recruited from the Dunedin community. Participants completed ‘Mind, Body, Food’ over 14 weeks (approximately one 20-minute module each week).  Participants’ height, weight, and IES score was measured during a pre- and post-intervention and three-month follow-up clinic visit.  Web app usage was captured via Google analytics.

Results: We will present participants’ evaluation of ‘Mind, Body, Food’ as well as web app usage.  Furthermore, we will present an analysis of participants’ pre- and post-intervention and three-month follow-up body mass index and intuitive eating scores.  

Discussion: ‘Mind, Body, Food’ is a tool that can potentially help women manage their weight without dieting by practicing intuitive eating skills. Findings from this study will inform revisions to the intervention content and design prior to conducting a large randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the intervention, which we hope to make freely available.