Improving Food‐Related Inhibitory Control Through an mHealth Intervention—A Secondary Outcome Analysis of an RCT.

Background: Experimental studies reveal that deficits in food‐related inhibitory control, rather than general impulsiveness, are closely linked to overweight and obesity. To date, the real‐world implications remain unknown, and it is unclear whether these results are supported in the clinical field. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention with cognitive and behavioral therapeutic elements in altering impulsiveness and food‐related inhibitory control. Methods: Prespecified secondary outcome analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Participants with overweight/obesity (BMI: M = 33.35 kg/m2, SD = 3.79 kg/m2, N = 213) were randomly assigned to either a 12‐week mHealth intervention (n = 116) or wait‐list control group (n = 97). The Barratt‐Impulsiveness‐Scale (BIS‐15) and the Food‐Related Inhibitory Control Scale (FRIS) were administered at baseline (T0) following the intervention (T1), at 9 and 15 month post baseline (T2, T3). Multi‐level analyses were calculated. Results: Compared to the control group, the intervention group reported higher food‐related inhibitory control on several subscales of the FRIS: In Withholding in Social Situations at T1 (95% CI: 0.06–0.46) and T2 (95%CI: 0.09–0.50), Action Cancellation at T1 (95%CI: 0.05–0.45), Resisting despite Craving at T1 (95% CI: 0.07–0.49), Withstanding Rewarding Food at T2 (95%CI: 0.08–0.55) and Action Withholding at T3 (95% CI: 0.01–0.55). No differences were found for trait impulsiveness (T1: 95%CI: −1.91–0.47; T2: 95%CI: −1.65–0.84; T3: 95%CI: −0.88–1.67). Conclusions: Food‐related inhibitory control, rather than global measures of impulsiveness, addresses the critical association between inhibitory control and health‐conscious dietary choices and can be improved by mHealth intervention. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04080193 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]