The Real Happy Study: Protocol for a Prospective Assessment of the Real-World Effectiveness of the HAPIFED Program-a H ealthy AP proach to we I ght management and F ood in E ating D isorders

Andrea L Pattinson; Natasha Nassar; Felipe Q da Luz; Phillipa Hay; Stephen Touyz; Amanda Sainsbury

doi:10.3390/bs9070072

The Real Happy Study: Protocol for a Prospective Assessment of the Real-World Effectiveness of the HAPIFED Program-a H ealthy AP proach to we I ght management and F ood in E ating D isorders

Behav Sci (Basel). 2019 Jul 1;9(7):72. doi: 10.3390/bs9070072.

Authors

Andrea L Pattinson¹, Natasha Nassar², Felipe Q da Luz¹, Phillipa Hay³, Stephen Touyz⁴, Amanda Sainsbury⁵

Affiliations

¹ The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
² Child Population and Translational Health Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
³ Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.
⁴ School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
⁵ The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. amanda.salis@sydney.edu.au.

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity with comorbid binge eating behaviour is growing at a faster rate than that seen for either obesity or eating disorders as separate conditions. Approximately 6% of the population are affected and they potentially face a lifetime of poor physical and mental health outcomes and an inability to sustain long-term weight loss. Current treatment options are inadequate in that they typically address either obesity or eating disorders exclusively, not the combination of both conditions. By treating one condition without treating the other, relapse is common, and patients are often left disappointed with their lack of weight loss. An integrated approach to treating these individuals is needed to prevent a worsening of the comorbidities associated with excess body weight and eating disorders. A new therapy has recently been developed, named HAPIFED, which addresses both overweight/obesity and comorbid binge eating behaviour with the combination of behavioural weight loss therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy-enhanced (CBT-E). The aim of this paper is to document the protocol for the Real Happy Study, which will evaluate the effectiveness of the HAPIFED program in treating overweight or obesity with comorbid binge-eating behaviour in a real-world setting.

Keywords: binge eating; binge eating disorder treatment; bulimia nervosa; diet reducing; eating disorders; obesity; obesity treatment; overweight; psychotherapy; weight management.