Power, D. orcid.org/0009-0006-3240-2487, Jones, A., Keyworth, C. et al. (7 more authors) (2025) Emotional eating interventions for adults living with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of behaviour change techniques. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 38 (1). e13410. ISSN 0952-3871
Abstract
Background
Emotional eating (EE) is a barrier to the long-term success of weight loss interventions. Psychological interventions targeting EE have been shown to reduce EE scores and weight (kg), though the mechanisms remain unclear. This review and meta-analysis aimed to identify the specific behaviour change techniques (BCTs) associated with improved outcomes.
Methods
This is a review update and extension, with new studies extracted from searches of CINAHL, PsycINFO, MEDLINE and EMBASE 1 January 2022 to 31 April 2023. EE interventions for adults with BMI > 25 kg/m2 were considered for inclusion. Paper screening, extraction, BCT-coding and risk of bias were completed using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist, Behaviour Change Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1) and Risk of Bias2 (RoB2)/Risk of Bias In Non-randomised Studies (ROBINS-I) tool. Narrative syntheses and random effects multi-level meta-analyses were conducted.
Results
In total, 6729 participants were included across 47 studies (13 identified in the update). Forty-two studies contributed to the pooled estimate for the impact of interventions on EE (SMD = −0.99 [95% CI: −0.73 to −1.25], p < 0.001). Thirty-two studies contributed to the pooled estimate for the impact of interventions on weight (−4.09 kg [95% CI: −2.76 to −5.43 kg], p < 0.001). Five BCTs related to identity, values and self-regulation were associated with notable improvements to both weight and EE (‘incompatible beliefs’, ‘goal setting outcome’. ‘review outcome goals’, ‘feedback on behaviour’ and ‘pros/cons’).
Conclusion
Implementation and evaluation of the highlighted BCTs are required. Weight management services should consider screening patients for EE to tailor interventions to individual needs.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Dietetic Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | behaviour change technique; emotional eating; obesity; psychological intervention; systematic review; weight management; Humans; Obesity; Emotions; Overweight; Behavior Therapy; Adult; Female; Male; Feeding Behavior; Weight Loss; Middle Aged; Eating |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jan 2025 10:34 |
Last Modified: | 31 Jan 2025 10:34 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/jhn.13410 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:222562 |