New intervention could increase adolescents’ motivation to manage their weight
A new intervention, developed in collaboration with young people living with obesity, could increase adolescents’ motivation to manage their weight. Bristol BRC researchers led the team developing the intervention, and their findings are published in PLOS One.
More than 340 million children and adolescents worldwide are living with overweight or obesity. These children are prone to high blood pressure, liver disease and psychological problems including anxiety, which often continue into adulthood.
The new intervention, called AIM2change, seeks to motivate adolescents living with obesity to take control of their own weight management. It is based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This type of therapy helps people make and maintain lifestyle changes, by linking the changes to their personal values.
The researchers worked with a group of young people from the Care of Childhood Obesity clinic at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children to develop the intervention. They delivered a series of one-to-one online therapy sessions, each followed by an interview with the participant. The researchers used feedback from the interviews to adapt and refine the intervention.
14 young people agreed to take part, and 9 remained involved at the end of the 7 therapy sessions. Roughly half were female.
The adolescents who co-developed the intervention reported that they benefitted, and approved of this approach to helping them manage their weight. Young people with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were among those who benefitted.
The next step is a study to test the feasibility of the intervention in 4 young people’s weight management clinics. If this is successful, the researchers plan to conduct a larger trial in clinics across the country.
Dr Elanor Hinton, Senior Research Fellow at the Bristol BRC and study author, said:
“AIM2Change has the potential to meet a gap in the current services provided to young people living with obesity.
“By helping young people work out what they value, AIM2Change will provide skills to empower them to ‘make the changes that matter to you’, together with the clinical expertise provided within the weight management clinics.”
Rhys Courtney-Tucker, a young person who helped develop AIM2Change through patient and public involvement work, said:
“Ever since I first became involved in AIM2Change, it has provided me with a sense of pride that I can contribute to the future of treating young people with weight-related health issues and obesity in the NHS.
“I want to show other young people, particularly those being treated for obesity, that there are people who want to hear their experiences, people who care for them and work tirelessly, like through AIM2Change.”
