Behavioral and Psychosocial Mediators of the Effects of Increased Self-Regulation on Short- and Long-Term Weight Loss in Women Within Community-Based Obesity Treatments.

This article focuses on identifying behavioral and psychosocial mediators linking increased self-regulation of eating to weight loss in women with obesity participating in community-based treatments. The study compared a self-regulation-focused intervention (SR-treatment) with a traditional education-based approach (Didactic training) over 6, 12, and 24 months, finding that improvements in self-regulation were associated with greater weight loss through changes in emotional eating, exercise, and sweets consumption. Emotional eating changes significantly mediated weight loss in the short to medium term (6–12 months), while exercise changes were significant mediators over longer periods (12–24 months). The findings suggest that behavioral obesity treatments may be enhanced by targeting self-regulatory skills that address emotional eating and exercise adherence, particularly in women, to improve both short- and long-term outcomes.