Auburn Research Day 2021

Educa t i ona l Resea rch | Med i ca l St udent

Craving Conqueror Program 013

Saumya L. Karne; Jesse Giles; Annie Kirby, PhD, RD; Ning Chen, MS, PhD; Joshua C. Hollingsworth, PharmD, PhD Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Auburn Campus

The prevalence of obesity in the United States has increased to 42.4% [CDC Data Briefs No. 360]. In Alabama, the prevalence is 36.2% [Obesity Data Trends, Alabama Dept. of Public Health]. An individual’s eating pattern is directly associated with their risk for obesity [Heerman et. al. 2017, Forslund et. al. 2005]. One modifiable factor that significantly influences many individuals’ eating pattern is the character and frequency of food cravings that they experience. Frequent food cravings for highly processed foods is associated with overweight and obesity [Roefs et. al. 2019]. Food cues, which may be external (e.g., seeing or smelling food) or internal (e.g., thoughts of food or particular emotions) can prompt cravings. A recent meta-analysis found that food-cue reactivity and cravings account for 11% of variance in subsequent eating behavior and weight gain [Boswell and Kober 2016]. Programs are needed that help motivated individuals with strong food cravings to gradually improve their eating patterns and effectively deal with cravings in the process. Our aim is to create such a program, which we are calling the Craving Conqueror, and assess its effectiveness using a quasi-experimental design. It will be a four-week interactive program that is delivered remotely online, via Zoom and email. Up to 50 participants will be recruited on a rolling basis, with 10 participants per class/cohort in the program. Participants will be taught a systematic approach to starting new healthy eating habits, stopping existing unhealthy eating habits and swapping unhealthy for healthy eating habits, using the Fogg Behavior Model and Tiny Habits ® Method [Fogg 2019]. To deal with food cravings, participants will be taught to “surf the urge,” an acceptance-based coping strategy in which the individual mindfully acknowledges the craving without judgement or attachment, recognizing that the feeling will pass on its own [Bowel and Marlatt 2009, Lloyd 2003]. Alabamians 18–35 years of age with strong food

cravings, as measured by the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait- Reduced (FCQ-T-R) [Lloyd 2003], will be recruited as participants. Change in FCQ-T-R scores from baseline to program completion will serve as the primary outcome. This will also be assessed three- and six-months after program completion. Change in dietary intake of added sugar, saturated fat and sodium will be assessed at the same time points, using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA24 ® ) Dietary Assessment Tool [Meule et. al. 2014]. The ultimate aim is to develop this program into a scalable and sustainable dietary intervention that is part of VCOM’s efforts to combat the obesity epidemic.

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