Implementation Intentions for Weight Loss and Dietary Change in College Students With Overweight and Obesity

One in three college students have overweight or obesity and are in need of brief and simple weight loss interventions that complement their unstructured lifestyles. Implementation intentions, a strategy that connects a goal-aligned behavior to a cue, facilitate goal-attainment for a wide variety of health-behaviors, but have not been tested as a stand-alone treatment for weight loss in students. College students with overweight or obesity (N = 95) were randomized to one of three conditions: an implementation intention group (IMP), an enhanced implementation intention group (IMP+) that included text message reminders and fluency training (i.e., training for speed and accuracy), and a control goal intention group (GOL) for four weeks. Participants completed anthropometric and self-report assessments pre- and post-treatment as well as experience-sampling assessments during the study to assess how implementation intentions contribute more directly to behavior change