Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Obesity.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To describe the recent literature on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) interventions for individuals with obesity. The review begins with a brief overview of the ACT model, describes seminal work in this area, and examines more recent literature on the use of ACT to improve outcomes among individuals with obesity.

RECENT FINDINGS

Early trials established ACT's efficacy for weight loss among adults with obesity. More recent research has focused on testing efficacy among adolescents, measuring effects in "real world" settings, refining interventions to optimize outcomes and enhance scalability, and examining outcomes beyond weight (e.g., internalized weight stigma, eating regulation). Current data indicate that ACT-based interventions produce comparable, or, in some cases, superior weight loss compared to standard behavioral interventions. ACT has also shown promise for improving other outcomes of interest. ACT may improve a variety of obesity-related outcomes, although additional research is needed.