Evaluation of the ACT on Health Program

This project will develop and test an online health promotion program that augments diet and physical activity behavior change methods using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). ACT is an evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy found to be effective in over 200 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in improving a wide range of psychological and behavioral health problems. Recently, several clinical trials have found ACT enhances diet and exercise behavior as well as long term weight management. These studies have focused on testing ACT provided by experts in face-to-face interventions, which limits broad dissemination. Delivering an ACT health promotion program online could potentially provide a low-cost resource to improve health across Utah. The specific aims are to: 1. Develop a canvas-based online course (ACT on Health) that teaches how to improve diet and physical activity as well as ACT-based skills to enhance behavior change efforts. 2. Evaluate ACT on Health relative to a waitlist in a RCT with 60 overweight/obese adults on outcomes including self-reported physical activity, diet, and quality of life. If successful, this project will both provide an ongoing canvas extension course delivered throughout Utah to improve health behaviors. This project seeks to develop and test an online, self-guided ACT program (ACT on Health) to improve diet and physical activity. ACT on Health will include 8 weekly modules teaching effective health behavior change methods coupled with ACT strategies to reduce maladaptive motivators and enhance adaptive motivators for change. The investigators will evaluate the program in a RCT relative to a waitlist condition with 60 overweight/obese adults recruited through Extension in 7 Utah counties. The program will be offered through the USU Extension Canvas platform to ensure, if effective, that the program could continue to be offered across Utah. The two hypotheses for this study are as follows: 1. Participants will report