Edie Goldbacher, Ph.D. Department of Psychology La Salle University

Healthy Weight, Healthy Eating:

Understanding and helping individuals with weight- and

eating-related difficulties

Edie Goldbacher, Ph.D.Department of Psychology

La Salle University

An overview…Who am I?

What is the context for trying to understand, prevent and treat eating- and weight-related difficulties?

What does this look like?

How are we at La Salle contributing to these efforts?

2000

Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1990, 2000, 2010

(*BMI 30, or about 30 lbs. overweight for 5’4” person)

2010

1990

No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

The multifaceted nature of obesity Genetics / Biological Factors Environmental Factors

Availability / cost of food / advertising Portion sizes Characteristics of the built environment

Social Factors Social support Social / cultural / environmentalstress

Conscious Choices?

The multifaceted nature of obesity: Behavioral Factors

Mindless / unintentional eating

Ineffective eating patterns

Sedentary behaviors

Ineffective problem-solving

Sensitivity to environmental cues

Behavioral Weight Loss:Not a diet, but a lifelong change

Self-monitoring Goal setting Problem-

solving Stimulus

control Coping Relapse

prevention

Pre-determined # of sessions (12 – 20 weekly, additional if needed)

Pre-set time frame (50 minute)

Weekly weigh-ins Nutrition education Physical activity Behavior modification Identify / modify unhelpful

thinking patterns

Self-MonitoringI am going to

need more information

…

Self Monitoring

Diet Physical Activity

Weight

Stimulus control

Stimulus Control

Learning to pay attention to things that we identify in the environment and how they may alter eating habits.

Pavlov's Dogs-

The multifaceted nature of obesity: Psychological Factors

Emotions / stress Alternatives

Binge eating Approximately 1-5% of population May be associated with weight loss difficulties May require different / specialized treatment

approach (e.g., CBT)

Other psychological factors Psychological disorders

The multifaceted nature of obesity: Bias / Discrimination

Increased by about 60% over past decade

Omnipresent

Common stereotypes and attitudes

Being a victim is associated with physical and psychological consequences

Raise awareness / educate

Address in treatment as precipitant

Our work at La Salle: The community at large

La Salle University’s Community Psychological Services: Healthy Eating, Healthy Weight clinic

Low-cost, sliding scale services Individual services

Eating and weight-difficulties Individualized treatment Improving treatment options, availability and

outcomes Weight loss group

Our work at La Salle: The university community

Furthering our understanding of factors that contribute to eating and weight difficulties in students Emotional eating

Examining weight-related attitudes among health care providers in student health centers

Promoting awareness, sensitivity and change

Interested in learning more?

Yale’s Rudd Food Center http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/

The Obesity Society http://www.obesity.org/

The Academy for Eating Disorders http://aed-web.org/web/index.php

Questions?Thank you!

goldbacher@lasalle.edu