Date Available

12-4-2014

Year of Publication

2014

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Document Type

Master's Thesis

College

Agriculture, Food and Environment

Department/School/Program

Dietetics and Human Nutrition

First Advisor

Dr. Kelly Webber

Abstract

Obesity is a complex issue; stress, depression, and food addiction, are several psychological conditions that can accompany an obesity diagnosis. Emotional Brain Training (EBT) was evaluated as a new approach to these conditions. Stress, depression, food addiction, and weight were assessed at baseline, after a seven week active intervention, and after a seven week no contact period. The final sample consisted of 26 obese adults. At seven week assessments, EBT participants experienced significant weight loss (p-value = 0.05) and decreased perceived stress (p-value = 0.035). Food addiction also decreased from 50% to 8.3% (or one participant). At fourteen week assessments, EBT participants maintained significant weight loss (p-value = 0.05) and increased perceived stress from the seven week evaluation (p-value = 0.012). The percentage classified as food addicted remained constant at fourteen weeks. This study suggests EBT is an appropriate intervention for weight loss and weight maintenance. In addition, EBT targets a variety of the complex issues surrounding obesity.

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