PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES

• PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO OBESITY?

  • restraint theory
  • disinhibition
  • boundary model
• RESTRAINT THEORY?

  • Herman and Polivy
  • overweight attempt to prevent obesity by restrained eating
  • self-impose unrealistic targets
  • have low self-control
  • attempt to use high food control strategy
  • eating now driven by regime not hunger
  • daily thoughts focus on food
• DISINHIBITION?

  • when overweight trying not to become obese become susceptible to environmental cues
  • preoccupied with food
  • media trigger 'loss of control' eating
  • have low emotional control
  • cues caused anxiety
  • seek comfort via eating
  • 'what the hell' effect
• BOUNDARY MODEL?

  • hunger boundary, satiety boundary, zone of biological indifference
  • if diet boundary in place
  • lower hunger boundary and high satiety boundary
  • extreme hunger
  • less sensitive to satiety
  • more vulnerable to social or cognitive factors
• EVALUATION?

  + Wardle and Beales

  +/- Hays et al

  -Savage
• WARDLE AND BEALES?

  • random allocation
  • 27 obese women
  • diet group, exercise group, control group
  • restrained group consumed more food when offered
• HAYS ET AL?

  • questionnaire
  • 638 healthy women
  • restrained eating not linked to overeating
  • but higher disinhibition strongly associated with greater adult weight gain/ higher current BMI
• SAVAGE?

  • 6 year longitudinal study
  • 163 women (who restrained eating)
  • restrained eating linked to weight decrease