Stress Management in Obesity During a Thermal Spa Residential Program

Summary

Stress can lead to obesity via inappropriate eating. In addition, obesity is a major stress factor. Furthermore, stressed people are also those who have the greatest difficulties to lose weight. The relationships between obesity and stress are biological via the action of stress on the major hormones regulating appetite (leptin, ghrelin). International recommendation proposals suggest to implement stress management programs in obesity for a sustainable weight loss. Moreover, stress and obesity are two public health issues. Among the multiple physical and psychological consequences of stress and obesity, increased mortality and cardiovascular morbidity seem the main concern. Many spa resorts are specialized in the treatment of obesity in France but actually no thermal spa proposes a specific program to manage stress in obesity.

The main hypothesis is that a thermal spa residential program (21 days) of stress management in obesity will exhibit its efficacy through objective measures of well-being and cardiovascular morbidity.

Conditions

• Obesity
• Stress

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

21-day residential program

Both groups will benefit of a 21-day residential program at the thermal spa resort combining corrections of eating disorders (and a negative energy balance of 500 kcal/day), physical activity (2h30 per day, minimum), thermal spa treatment (2h per day, minimum), and health education (1h30 per day, minimum: cooking, nutrition and physical activity classes…). Physical activity will be diverse (endurance, strength, circuit training) and personalized to the target of each participant. The intervention group will benefit from psychological interventions based on validated approaches of stress (3 x 1h30 per week). Participants will attend psychological sessions by group of less than 10 individuals. Individual meeting with the psychologist will occur at least twice: at the beginning of the residential program and at the end. After the spa residential program, participants will undergo a one-year at-home follow-up.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

  collaborator OTHER

• European Regional Development Fund

  collaborator OTHER

• Spa resort of Vichy, Compagnie de Vichy, 1 et 3 avenue Eisenhower, 03200 Vichy, France

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Hospital of Vichy, Boulevard Denière, 03200 Vichy, France

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Université d'Auvergne

  collaborator OTHER

• LaPEC laboratory (EA 4278), Avignon University, Avignon, France

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Innovatherm

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• Center of Auvergne for Obesity and its health-related risks (CALORIS), Auvergne, France

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Frederic DUTHEIL · University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-02-01

Primary Completion

2021-03-01

Completion

2021-04-01

Countries

• France

Study Locations