The role of mindfulness training in sustaining weight reduction: retrospective cohort analysis

BackgroundPsychological stress has an established bi-directional relationship with obesity. Mindfulness techniques reduce stress and improve eating behaviours, but their long-term impact remains untested. CALMPOD (Compassionate Approach to Living Mindfully for Prevention of Disease) is a psychoeduca...

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Published in:BJPsych open 2022-11, Vol.8 (6), p.e198-e198, Article e198
Main Authors: Hanson, Petra, Lange, Maria, Oduro-Donkor, Dominic, Shuttlewood, Emma, Weickert, Martin O., Randeva, Harpal S., Menon, Vinod, Alexander, Regi T., Basset, Paul, Shankar, Rohit, Barber, Tom M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body mass index
cognitive behavioural therapies
Cohort analysis
Complimentary therapies
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Diabetes
Eating behavior
Education
education and training
Hemoglobin
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mindfulness
Obesity
outcome studies
Pandemics
Patients
psychosocial interventions
R&D
Research & development
Values
Weight control
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Summary:BackgroundPsychological stress has an established bi-directional relationship with obesity. Mindfulness techniques reduce stress and improve eating behaviours, but their long-term impact remains untested. CALMPOD (Compassionate Approach to Living Mindfully for Prevention of Disease) is a psychoeducational mindfulness-based course evidenced to improve eating patterns across a 6-month period, possibly by reducing stress. However, no long-term evaluation of impact exists.AimsThis study retrospectively evaluates 2-year outcomes of CALMPOD on patient engagement, weight and metabolic markers.MethodAll adults with a body mass index >35 kg/m2 attending an UK obesity service during 2016–2020 were offered CALMPOD. Those who refused CALMPOD were offered standard lifestyle advice. Routine clinic data over 2 years, including age, gender, 6-monthly appointment attendance, weight, haemoglobin A1C and total cholesterol, were pooled and analysed to evaluate CALMPOD.ResultsOf 289 patients, 163 participated in the CALMPOD course and 126 did not. No baseline demographic differences existed between the participating and non-participating groups. The CALMPOD group had improved attendance across all 6-monthly appointments compared with the non-CALMPOD group (P < 0.05). Mean body weight reduction at 2 years was 5.6 kg (s.d. 11.2, P < 0.001) for the CALMPOD group compared with 3.9 kg (s.d. 10.5, P < 0.001) for the non-CALMPOD group. No differences in haemoglobin A1C and fasting serum total cholesterol were identified between the groups.ConclusionsThe retrospective evaluation of CALMPOD suggests potential for mindfulness and compassion-based group educational techniques to improve longer-term patient and clinical outcomes. Prospective large-scale studies are needed to evaluate the impact of stress on obesity and the true impact of CALMPOD.
ISSN:2056-4724
2056-4724
DOI:10.1192/bjo.2022.602