Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss

© 2018 The Author(s) Obesity rates are rising worldwide. Executive function and delay discounting have been hypothesized to play important roles in the self-regulation of behavior, and may explain variance in weight loss treatment success. First, we compared individuals with obesity (n = 82) to heal...

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Main Authors: Dassen, F., Houben, K., Allom, Vanessa, Jansen, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Springer New York LLC 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69091
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author Dassen, F.
Houben, K.
Allom, Vanessa
Jansen, A.
author_facet Dassen, F.
Houben, K.
Allom, Vanessa
Jansen, A.
author_sort Dassen, F.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2018 The Author(s) Obesity rates are rising worldwide. Executive function and delay discounting have been hypothesized to play important roles in the self-regulation of behavior, and may explain variance in weight loss treatment success. First, we compared individuals with obesity (n = 82) to healthy weight controls (n = 71) on behavioral and self-report measures of executive function (working memory, inhibition and shifting) and delay discounting. Secondly, the individuals with obesity took part in a multidisciplinary weight loss program and we examined whether executive function and delay discounting predicted weight change. Individuals with obesity displayed weaker general and food-specific inhibition, and weaker self-reported executive function. Better behavioral working memory and better self-reported inhibition skills in daily life were predictive of greater weight loss. As findings are correlational, future studies should investigate the causal relationship between executive function and weight loss, and test whether intervening on executive function will lead to better prevention and treatment of obesity.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-690912018-06-29T12:35:36Z Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss Dassen, F. Houben, K. Allom, Vanessa Jansen, A. © 2018 The Author(s) Obesity rates are rising worldwide. Executive function and delay discounting have been hypothesized to play important roles in the self-regulation of behavior, and may explain variance in weight loss treatment success. First, we compared individuals with obesity (n = 82) to healthy weight controls (n = 71) on behavioral and self-report measures of executive function (working memory, inhibition and shifting) and delay discounting. Secondly, the individuals with obesity took part in a multidisciplinary weight loss program and we examined whether executive function and delay discounting predicted weight change. Individuals with obesity displayed weaker general and food-specific inhibition, and weaker self-reported executive function. Better behavioral working memory and better self-reported inhibition skills in daily life were predictive of greater weight loss. As findings are correlational, future studies should investigate the causal relationship between executive function and weight loss, and test whether intervening on executive function will lead to better prevention and treatment of obesity. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69091 10.1007/s10865-018-9940-9 Springer New York LLC restricted
spellingShingle Dassen, F.
Houben, K.
Allom, Vanessa
Jansen, A.
Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
title Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
title_full Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
title_fullStr Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
title_full_unstemmed Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
title_short Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
title_sort self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69091