General Discussion 199 7 Self-management The emotional eaters that participated in our research, showed receptivity to selfmanagement. Participants returned rich feedback on the coaching provided (Chapter 4), and on the exercises presented (Chapter 6), and how it affected them. They appeared able to work through this autonomously. This implies that there are possibilities for designing a selfmanagement virtual coach for emotional eaters. In the literature, there is still a lack of a precise definition for the concept of selfmanagement in relation to emotional eating behaviour or eating disorders. However, studies have demonstrated the potential effectiveness of online self-help programs [13-14]. Research by De la Rie et al [7] found that the target group demonstrates a willingness and preference for self-management. They also indicated that they perceive ‘self-help’ as more effective than assistance fromcounsellors not specialized in eating disorders. Online self-management interventions targeting eating behaviour can therefore be successful [8-10]. According to Lorig & Holman [11] the success of self-management depends on the presence of self-management skills such as problem solving, decision making, resource utilization, and action planning, among others [11]. Building upon this proposition, Peeters proposed a new classification of self-management of outcome measures based on competence, illness-management, and independence (social participation, autonomy) in using technology in home care [12]. Further research is needed to determine whether enhancement of self-management skills, such as problem-solving, and decision making, are applicable to our target group, aiming to improve the independent and autonomous utilization of the virtual coach. Ideally, emotional eaters themselves should be active participants in their own treatment. They should be considered capable of making day-to-day decisions on how to cope and solve typical problem situations for emotional eaters on the spot. The emotional eater should therefore be guided in improving and deepening their self-management skills. Adequate guidance on performing self-management should therefore be an essential part of a virtual coach. Performing optimal self-management behaviour is difficult and demands a substantial effort from the patient [15]. Literature indicated that self-management can also be promoted by giving users insight into the (self) collected data and by providing tailored information [16]. This fact enables individuals with emotional eating to retrospectively examine past instances when
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