The Effectiveness of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT) in Reducing Body Weight and Increasing Weight Efficacy Life Style via Virtual Group: during Covid-19 Pandemic

The spread of COVID-19 as a pandemic and passage of lockdown rules may increase overweight and obesity in people. Therefore, this research intended to study the effectiveness of Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) using a virtual group for weight loss and increasing weight efficacy lifestyle.

This pretest-posttest equivalent to the control group quasi-experimental and applied study was conducted in Neyshabur in 2019-2020. The statistical population consisted of overweight females with a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 25. The research sample included 90 eligible individuals randomly divided into three groups: experimental, wait-list control and Treatment as Usual. The interventional treatment in the experimental group was in the form of 42 ICBT sessions. The weight efficacy lifestyle questionnaire (WEL) produced in 1991 was used to assess weight efficacy lifestyle and BMI to evaluate weight. The data were collected prior to and following the therapy.

ANCOVA at a significance level of 0.05 was employed to analyze the data. The results indicated that ICBT had significant effects via the virtual group and WhatsApp on BMI reduction (F (72,2) = 15.54, P <0/0005; Partialη2 = 0.30) and weight efficacy lifestyle increased (F (72,2) = 3.31, P <0/04; Partialη2 = 0.08) in the overweight female participants by SPSS-25 software.

Based on the findings of this study, ICBT via the virtual group was very promising and could reduce BMI and increasing weight efficacy lifestyle among the female participants in spite of the spread of a pandemic such as COVID-19 during which regular physical presence of individuals was not possible.