COMPUTER-DELIVERED INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH OBESITY AND ELEVATED ANXIETY SENSITIVITY

Obesity is one the fastest growing public health problems related to numerous chronic diseases and frequently co-occurs with negative mood states. One promising integrative, theory-driven approach to address the heterogeneity of affective vulnerabilities and obesity is to focus on transdiagnostic processes that underpin both conditions. Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a transdiagnostic cognitive vulnerability factor associated with negative affect syndromes and obesity-related health behaviors. Thus, the current study was conducted to adapt and test a brief (single session), computer-delivered intervention for adults with obesity and elevated AS. Participants were 131 individuals with obesity and elevated AS who received either the AS reduction program (AST) or a health information control (HC). Latent growth curve modeling was utilized to examine the effect of treatment condition on change in AS, emotional eating, expectancies of eating to manage mood, exercise self-efficacy, and exercise avoidance from baseline to 1-week, 2-weeks, and 1-month follow-up. The mediational role of changes in AS on the relationship between treatment condition and changes in the outcome variables were examined. Results indicated AST was a statistically significant predictor of change in expectancies of eating to manage negative affect. Additionally, changes in AS had a statistically significant effect on changes in emotional eating and expectancies of eating to manage negative affect. Current data provide preliminary support for the utility of AST related to expectancies of eating to manage negative affect. Moreover, the current study provides a strong rationale for future work within this domain.