Preventive Assessment and Intervention in Obesity Through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

The following services are included in this offer:

• Development and validation of assessment instruments in this field, covering the six processes included in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
• Development, implementation and evaluation of obesity prevention programmes for adolescent and adult populations based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
• Analysis of risk factors that may be associated with the development of these health problems.
• Analysis of the relationship between obesity prevalence and current social risk factors, such as social media use and social movements such as “real food” and fatphobia.

These types of studies may be commissioned by different public or private public health institutions or by educational authorities for implementation in educational and healthcare settings.

Likewise, applying these assessment instruments to community samples will make it possible to identify health levels, and studies may be commissioned by different public or private public health institutions responsible for planning and managing health policy, as this makes it possible to identify health levels, vulnerable groups and variables associated with obesity and overweight.

Finally, the planning of prevention programmes may be highly useful for educational and health authorities.

The World Health Organization has classified obesity as a global pandemic associated with a large number of comorbidities and highly resistant to treatment. In this context, prevention is considered to be the most effective approach. In this regard, third-generation therapies provide a novel and integrative theoretical framework for developing effective prevention strategies.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop instruments to assess the psychological variables relevant to this field (such as acceptance of unpleasant sensations and emotions, cognitive defusion, self-compassion, personal values, etc.) in order to analyse the main psychological variables that may be associated with overweight and obesity.

Maturity Level: Advanced. The technology has a methodology developed through successful pilot studies.

Available Assets: Two validated assessment instruments ready for clinical or research use, together with preventive intervention protocols for adult and adolescent populations.

• Public Health Authorities.
• Secondary Schools and Universities.
• Pharmaceutical and Wellness Industry.
• Health Planning Organisations.

María José Quiles Sebastián – Department of Behavioural and Health Sciences