Helle Nergaard Grønbæk defends her PhD thesis
Title
'When motivation is not enough – Psychological aspects of family treatment of childhood obesity'.
Time and place
Friday, 9 October 2020 at 14:00.
Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC), Niels Steensensvej 6, building NSK, 2820 Gentofte.
Please notice that the maximum number of people allowed in the NSK auditorium is 50. We encourage people to participate online via Zoom. If you would like to be present at SDCC, please coordinate with the candidate at helle.nergaard.groenbaek@regionh.dk.
Click here to join the online defense on Zoom.
Password: 794561.
Due to the COVID-19 regulations, there will unfortunately not be a reception after the defence.
Assessment committee
- Associate Professor Pernille Envold Hansen Bidstrup, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (chair).
- Professor Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen, Southern University, Denmark.
- Associate Professor Michael Vallis, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada (will participate online).
Abstract
Childhood obesity has increased at an alarming rate, and the WHO considers it to be the primary public health challenge of the 21st century. Despite this, present studies conducted on the treatment of childhood obesity have offered low to moderate evidence of weight loss and demonstrated short-term effects, at best.
This PhD thesis is based on research in the psychological aspects of family-based childhood obesity programmes conducted from 2002 to 2020. The general objective is to present and discuss psychological elements and treatments of childhood obesity, and to propose research-based strategies to enhance the psychological treatment effect.
The focus of the included studies was: a) to explore the relationship between psychological causes and consequences of obesity, b) to explore the everyday life, narratives and motivation of a family with a child in a psychological treatment of obesity, c) to analyse diverse psychological approaches in two different treatment programmes, and d) to analyse the use of the term “motivation” and the significance of motivation in a treatment programme for children with obesity.
To strengthen the psychological treatment of childhood obesity interventions must be directed at the family, support changes in health behaviour, as well as support the psychological and physical wellbeing of the child and family.
An analysis throughout a psychological treatment program for childhood obesity identified two types of motivation: Overall motivation and situational motivation. A strategy is proposed to improve the planning of childhood obesity treatment programmes by addressing the motivational processes underlying health behaviours; namely the situational motivation. Motivation alone is not enough to guarantee successful treatment.