FAB: Feasibility trial of ACT in bariatric patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Addressing a Critical Need: Feasibility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Bariatric Surgery Patients at 15-18 Months Post-Surgery.
IRAS ID
233384
Contact name
Elizabeth Barley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
West London Mental Health Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
3959, researchregistry.com
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 7 months, 25 days
Research summary
Bariatric surgery is the most effective long term solution for obesity; however, around one in five people who have had this surgery end up putting weight back on. Not being able to enjoy food, losing the comfort from food and finding it hard to resist food can also make depression and addiction problems more likely after surgery.
This is a Randomised Controlled Feasibility Trial comparing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with treatment as usual (support group) in post-operative bariatric surgery patients. ACT teaches awareness of thoughts and feelings which influence behaviour, compassion, and mindful holding of meaningful goals in line with the person’s values. These processes have worked in other conditions and we will therefore test whether people who have had bariatric surgery at least one year ago find 10 weeks of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) an acceptable treatment and whether it would be feasible to conduct, in future, a trial to test whether ACT can help sustain and/or improve post-operative outcomes in this patient group.
This project will tell us whether the methods, such as how people are recruited, allocated to the ACT group, and how data is collected, are likely to work on a bigger scale. Trials big enough to inform us about whether a treatment approach works are costly, so this small study is needed to work out the best methods for the future. We will also interview some of those who have taken part to understand their views more fully. This project is the first step in testing whether ACT can help people who have had bariatric surgery.
REC name
London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1256
Date of REC Opinion
21 Aug 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion