Alexis Ruffault

The effects of mindfulness training on weight-loss and health-related behaviours in adults with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive quantitative synthesis of the effects of mindfulness training interventions on weight-loss and health behaviours in adults with overweight and obesity using meta-analytic techniques. Studies included in the analysis (k=12) were randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of any form of mindfulness training on weight loss, impulsive eating, binge eating, or physical activity participation in adults with overweight and obesity. Random effects meta-analysis revealed that mindfulness training had no significant effect on weight loss, but an overall negative effect on impulsive eating (d=-1.13) and binge eating (d=-.90), and a positive effect on physical activity levels (d=.42). Meta-regression analysis showed that methodological features of included studies accounted for 100% of statistical heterogeneity of the effects of mindfulness training on weight loss (R2=1,00). Among methodological features, the only significant predictor of weight loss was follow-up distance from post-intervention (β=1.18; p<.05), suggesting that the longer follow-up distances were associated with greater weight loss. Results suggest that mindfulness training has short-term benefits on health-related behaviours. Future studies should explore the effectiveness of mindfulness training on long-term post-intervention weight loss in adults with overweight and obesity.

Do karate fighters use situational probability information to improve decision-making performance during on-mat tasks?

ABSTRACT This study examined the contribution of situational probability information to the perceptual and cognitive processes underlying decision-making behaviour during in situ Karate performance. Experts and novices were required to make decisions about various attacks in different fight scenarios. The order in which the fight situations were presented was modified in order to provide advanced probability information and identify whether fighters were able to use the latter information to make better decisions. Specifically, one of the attacks was repeated every four actions. Results revealed that experts were more accurate and faster than their less skilled counterparts to block and counterattack the opponent. The experts picked up the occurrence of the attack pattern after the fifth repetition whereas novices did not. This enabled experts to improve decision time and decision accuracy. Findings suggest that such superiority could stem from the perceptual and cognitive skills possessed by the experts, thus giving them the opportunity to recognise a situation more easily. This was reinforced by gaze behaviour which demonstrated that experts used a more efficient search strategy involving fewer fixations of longer duration on a lesser number of areas relative to the novices. Moreover, experts generated more refined karate-specific knowledge structures compared with the novices.

A Cognitive and Virtual Reality Treatment Program for the Fear of Flying.

BACKGROUND Passenger air transport has considerably increased in the past 50 yr. It is estimated that between 7 and 40% of the population of industrialized countries is currently afraid of flying. Programs treating the fear of flying have been developed to meet this problem. This study measures the effectiveness of one of these programs by focusing on flight-related anxiety before the program and after the first flight following the intervention. METHODS There were 157 individuals recruited to participate in a 1-d intervention aiming at treating the fear of flying, and using both cognitive behavioral techniques and virtual reality. Anxiety was measured with the Flight Anxiety Situations (FAS) and the Flight Anxiety Modality (FAM) questionnaires. RESULTS Statistical analyses were conducted on 145 subjects (69.7% female; ages from 14 to 64) after the exclusion of individuals with missing data. The results showed a decrease in flight-related anxiety for each subscale of the two questionnaires: the somatic (d=2.44) and cognitive anxiety (d=1.47) subscales of the FAM, and the general flight anxiety (d=3.20), the anticipatory flight anxiety (d=1.74), and the in-flight anxiety (d=1.04) subscales of the FAS. CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness of the treatment program using both cognitive behavioral techniques and virtual reality strategies for fear of flying reduced flight-related anxiety in the subjects in our study. Our results show that subjects demonstrated lower anxiety levels after the first flight following the program than before the intervention.

Randomized controlled trial of a 12-month computerized mindfulness-based intervention for obese patients with binge eating disorder: The MindOb study protocol

BACKGROUND Mindfulness-based interventions for healthy behaviors such as exercise and dietary modifications have aroused growing interest. This study aims to test the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention for the reduction of impulsive eating and the improvement of motivation to exercise among obese individuals. METHODS One-hundred and twenty obese outpatients, aged 18 to 65years, diagnosed with a binge eating disorder, will be randomly assigned to one of the three following groups: mindfulness practice, sham meditation, or treatment as usual control. The tested intervention consists of a 1-year computerized mindfulness-based program. Mindfulness sessions are audio recordings that the patients are asked to listen to, 10min every day. Self-reported questionnaires measuring impulsive eating, motivation to exercise, physical activity level, mood, and mindfulness skills are filled in at baseline, 1, 6, and 12months. Physical activity, calories consumption, and biomarkers are measured with more objective measurement tools at baseline, 6months and 12months. CONCLUSION Mindfulness, as both a de-automation element and as a moderator of motivation to exercise, can lead to the reduction of impulsive eating and also to an increase in levels of physical activity. These effects could cause weight loss in obese patients suffering from binge eating disorder. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02571387.

Differential Associations Between Excess Body Weight and Psychiatric Disorders in Men and Women

BACKGROUND The current investigation is the first large-scale population-based study from France that documents the association between excess body weight and common psychiatric disorders, and examines the influence of gender on the association between excess body weight and these disorders. A recent plan has been implemented in France to treat the rising rate of those who are overweight or obese, and we seek to demonstrate whether integrated treatment of excess weight and psychiatric conditions appears as indicated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data were drawn from a cross-sectional general population survey of 17,237 adults. Past-year psychiatric disorders were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form. Body mass index was used to determine excess weight status. RESULTS Overall, 3.7% of the sample were underweight, 57% were normal weight, 28% were overweight (35% of men, 22% of women), and 11% were obese (11% of men, 11% of women). Being overweight was more common in men than women, although obesity did not differ by gender. Sociodemographic variables significantly associated with weight status included, age, marital status, education, employment status, income level, and population density. Adjusting for these variables, being overweight was associated with major depression and other disorders among women and inversely associated with drug abuse and dependence among men. Obesity was associated with major depression, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder among women. Only generalized anxiety was associated with obesity among men. CONCLUSION Past year, mental disorders were more likely associated with being overweight or obese among women as compared with men. The prevalence of these co-occurring psychiatric disorders in the context of the rising rate of obesity in France indicates a clear need for psychiatric assessment and treatment in caring for those with excess weight, especially women. Preliminary reports suggest this need is unmet within the otherwise progressive move in France to assist those struggling with excess weight.