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Internet‐delivered obesity treatment improves symptoms of and risk for depression
Author(s) -
Naparstek Jacob,
Wing Rena R.,
Xu Xiaomeng,
Leahey Tricia M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.21773
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , medicine , obesity , overweight , weight loss , psychological intervention , depressive symptoms , weight gain , randomized controlled trial , patient health questionnaire , physical therapy , psychiatry , body weight , anxiety , economics , macroeconomics
Objective In‐person lifestyle interventions for obesity treatment yield significant improvements in depression. These improvements may be attributed to the excellent weight losses produced by in‐person interventions. In contrast, Internet programs yield more modest weight losses, and their effect on depression is unknown. This study is the first to examine whether Internet‐delivered obesity treatment impacts depressive symptoms. Methods Participants ( N = 136) were randomized to either a community campaign plus Internet behavioral weight loss (IBWL) or community campaign alone (Control). IBWL did not include online social support components. A measure of depressive symptoms was administered, and weight was objectively assessed. Results Of the total sample, 24% met the clinical cutoff for elevated depression risk at baseline. IBWL participants lost more weight during treatment ( P = 0.005) and experienced significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms ( P = 0.02). Among participants who met the clinical cutoff for elevated risk for depression at baseline, those assigned to IBWL had greater improvements in depressive symptoms during treatment compared to Control ( P = 0.033). Consequently, at post‐treatment, a smaller percentage of IBWL participants were at elevated risk for depression. Conclusions This study is the first to show that Internet‐delivered obesity treatment improves depression risk and depressive symptoms in individuals with overweight or obesity.