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MDPI, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 3(20), p. 2722, 2023

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20032722

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Emotional Eating Interventions for Adults Living with Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Journal article published in 2023 by Jo Smith ORCID, Xiao Qi Ang, Emma L. Giles, Gemma Traviss-Turner ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Background: Emotional eating (EE) may be defined as a tendency to eat in response to negative emotions and energy-dense and palatable foods, and is common amongst adults with overweight or obesity. There is limited evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions that address EE. Objectives: To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of EE interventions for weight loss and EE in adults living with overweight or obesity. Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Adhering to the PRISMA guidance, a comprehensive electronic search was completed up to February 2022. Random effects meta-analysis was carried out to determine the percentage change in weight and EE scores. Results: Thirty-four studies were included. The combined effect size for percentage weight change was −1.08% (95% CI: −1.66 to −0.49, I2 = 64.65%, n = 37), once adjusted for publication bias. Similarly, the combined effect size for percentage change in EE was −2.37%, (95% CI: −3.76 to −0.99, I2 = 87.77%, n = 46). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy showed the most promise for reducing weight and improving EE. Conclusions: Interventions to address EE showed promise in reducing EE and promoted a small amount of weight loss in adults living with overweight or obesity.