TY - JOUR
T1 - Implementation intentions for weight loss in college students with overweight and obesity
T2 - A proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial
AU - Hayes, Jacqueline F.
AU - Balantekin, Katherine N.
AU - Graham, Andrea K.
AU - Strube, Michael J.
AU - Bickel, Warren K.
AU - Wilfley, Denise E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Society of Behavioral Medicine 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected].
PY - 2021/2/1
Y1 - 2021/2/1
N2 - One in three college students have overweight or obesity and are in need of brief, simple weight loss interventions. Implementation intentions, a strategy that connects a goal-aligned behavior to a cue, facilitate goal attainment of health behaviors but have not been applied as a standalone treatment for weight loss. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an implementation intention weight loss intervention in college students. In this three-arm, proof-of-concept, randomized controlled trial, college students with overweight/obesity (N = 95) were randomized to one of three conditions: an implementation intention group (IMP), an enhanced implementation intention group (IMP+) that included text message reminders and fluency training (i.e., training for speed and accuracy), and a control goal intention group (GOL) for 4 weeks. Participants completed anthropometric and self-report assessments pretreatment and posttreatment and experience-sampling assessments during the study to assess how implementation intentions contribute to behavior change. Across the sample, IMP and IMP+ groups reported significantly more goal-congruent behaviors than the GOL group. However, no between-condition differences emerged for weight and diet outcomes. Across conditions, students lost a statistically significant amount of weight, improved diet quality, and reduced caloric intake (ps <. 05). Setting implementation intentions was associated with increased behaviors consistent with weight loss goals. Moreover, participants in all groups lost a statistically significant amount of weight. Incorporating implementation intentions into weight loss interventions, and testing the efficacy of this approach on weight loss over a longer duration, may be beneficial for college students with overweight/obesity.
AB - One in three college students have overweight or obesity and are in need of brief, simple weight loss interventions. Implementation intentions, a strategy that connects a goal-aligned behavior to a cue, facilitate goal attainment of health behaviors but have not been applied as a standalone treatment for weight loss. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of an implementation intention weight loss intervention in college students. In this three-arm, proof-of-concept, randomized controlled trial, college students with overweight/obesity (N = 95) were randomized to one of three conditions: an implementation intention group (IMP), an enhanced implementation intention group (IMP+) that included text message reminders and fluency training (i.e., training for speed and accuracy), and a control goal intention group (GOL) for 4 weeks. Participants completed anthropometric and self-report assessments pretreatment and posttreatment and experience-sampling assessments during the study to assess how implementation intentions contribute to behavior change. Across the sample, IMP and IMP+ groups reported significantly more goal-congruent behaviors than the GOL group. However, no between-condition differences emerged for weight and diet outcomes. Across conditions, students lost a statistically significant amount of weight, improved diet quality, and reduced caloric intake (ps <. 05). Setting implementation intentions was associated with increased behaviors consistent with weight loss goals. Moreover, participants in all groups lost a statistically significant amount of weight. Incorporating implementation intentions into weight loss interventions, and testing the efficacy of this approach on weight loss over a longer duration, may be beneficial for college students with overweight/obesity.
KW - College students
KW - Implementation intentions
KW - Obesity treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103228007&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1093/tbm/ibaa038
DO - 10.1093/tbm/ibaa038
M3 - Article
C2 - 32359068
AN - SCOPUS:85103228007
SN - 1869-6716
VL - 11
SP - 359
EP - 368
JO - Translational behavioral medicine
JF - Translational behavioral medicine
IS - 2
ER -