Exploring Tailored Virtual Emotion Regulation Approaches for Individuals with Emotional Eating 149 6 Plain English summary Emotional eating is eating in response to negative emotions, and is problematic because it may lead to overweight, depression, and low self-image. People with emotional eating behaviour have difficulty regulating emotions and need mental healthcare but may feel too ashamed to seek help. Moreover, healthcare is not always available at the time of need. Our goal in this research project is to develop a virtual coach application that is available 24/7. This study examined what users of such an application would think of a series of online exercises that can help you recognize and take control of your own negative emotions. We wanted participants to tell us what they thought of the exercises. We also measured whether performing the exercises had an effect on how a person felt (well-being) and whether their skills in handling their own emotions improved. The outcome was that participants found the exercises insightful, but that completion was dull. It also revealed that the measured effects were small. Introduction In 2019, half the Dutch population (50.1%) of 18 years and older were overweight (BMI > 25) and 14.7%were obese (BMI > 30) [1]. Early research by Ganley [2] states that overweight and obese individuals (60% or more) struggle with emotional eating behaviour; the tendency to overeat in response to negative emotions, such as anxiety or irritability [3]. Emotional eating can occur regardless of satiation or hunger sensations and thereby can increase an individual’s caloric intake and foster obesity [4]. In turn, obesity increases the risk for other chronic conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, and hypertension [5]. Therefore, there seems to be a need for interventions effectively targeting emotional eating. Emotional eating behaviour For individuals with emotional eating behaviour, eating and giving in to binge eating and or overeating, is a natural coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions [6-7]. Individuals with emotional eating suffer from emotion dysregulation [8-11] limited awareness of their body’s internal signals, resulting in a diminished understanding of bodily sensations [12] and an elevated level of alexithymia, which refers to the difficulty in recognizing and describing one's own emotions [13-14].
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