Comparative efficacy of remotely delivered mindfulness-based eating awareness training versus behavioral-weight loss counseling during COVID-19

Carla Ugarte Pérez; Claudia Cruzat-Mandich; Álvaro Quiñones Bergeret; Dafne Díaz-Tendero; Marcela Gallegos; Aurora A Gil; Antonio Cepeda-Benito

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1101120

Comparative efficacy of remotely delivered mindfulness-based eating awareness training versus behavioral-weight loss counseling during COVID-19

Front Psychol. 2023 May 17:14:1101120. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1101120. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Carla Ugarte Pérez¹, Claudia Cruzat-Mandich¹, Álvaro Quiñones Bergeret², Dafne Díaz-Tendero¹, Marcela Gallegos³, Aurora A Gil⁴, Antonio Cepeda-Benito^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Centro de Estudios de la Conducta Alimentaria (CECA), Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Peñalolén, Chile.
² Department of Social Science, University of Tarapacá, Iquique, Chile.
³ Departamento de Nutrición y Bariátrica, Clinica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile.
⁴ Eating Disorders Unit, Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago, Chile.
⁵ Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States.
⁶ Departamento de Psicología, Personalidad y Tratamiento, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain.

Abstract

Introduction: Dysregulated eating (emotional eating, cue-elicited eating, and dietary restraint and restriction) has been linked to being overweight or obese. The present investigation used a random controlled trial (RCT) to test the differential efficacy of remotely delivered Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) and Behavioral Weight Loss (BWL) counseling.

Methods: The sample was recruited through advertisements that offered help to people "with problems controlling their eating" or "interested in improving their relationship with food" (n = 135).

Results: Retention was low in both groups (42%), but not dissimilar to retention rates reported in related clinical trials delivered "in person." Among the participants who completed treatment, we found no between-group differences in any of the treatment outcomes, but participants in both groups experienced significant increases in eating-related mindfulness [Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) and awareness [Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), and significant decreases in unhealthy eating patterns [Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ); Binge Eating Scale (BES), and weight over the course of treatment. Participants in both groups also experienced increases in self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)], although these increases likely reflected normative changes observed in the population at large during COVID-19.

Discussion: Overall, the results suggest that dysregulated eating and weight loss intervention delivered remotely via teleconference can be effective.

Keywords: COVID-19; binge eating; emotional eating; external eating; mindful eating; mindfulness-based eating awareness training; randomized controlled trial; telehealth.