Purpose of review: Obesity presents a challenge for practitioners, policy makers, researchers and for those with obesity themselves. This review focuses on psychological approaches to its management and prevention in children and adults.
Recent findings: Through exploring the work of the late Professor Jane Wardle, we look at the earliest behavioural treatment approaches and how psychological theory has been used to develop more contemporary approaches, for example incorporating genetic feedback and habit formation theory into interventions. We also explore how Jane has challenged thinking about the causal pathways of obesity in relation to eating behaviour. Beyond academic work, Jane was an advocate of developing interventions which had real-world applications. Therefore, we discuss how she not only developed new interventions but also made these widely available and the charity that she established.
Keywords: Behavioural therapy (BT); Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT); Family-based behavioural treatment (FBBT); Genetic feedback; Habit formation theory; Obesity treatment.