How do severely obese people experience their psychological well being
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do people with severe obesity experience their psychological well-being and what role does food play in regulating this?
IRAS ID
121281
Contact name
Jennifer Woodhouse
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Tees Esk and Wear Valley Foundation Trust
Research summary
This qualitative study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore how people with severe obesity experience their psychological well-being. Specifically, it is interested in exploring what emotions are experienced during the development of becoming obese, what is the individuals current experience of their psychological well-being and how food/diet is involved in regulating well-being. The current literature base predominantly utilises a quantitative approach which focuses on mental health diagnoses and corresponding symptoms and may oversimplify the complexities of severe obesity as a phenomena. This study aims to gather a more in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of people who are severely obese.
Individuals with a BMI >40 who are under the care of a weight management service in the North East of England will be asked whether they want to take part in the study. A total of 8 - 10 participants will be recruited. They will be asked to take part in a semi-structured interview lasting approximately 1 hour which will focus on their experiences of their own psychological well-being and what role they feel food plays in regulating this. Interviews will be audio recorded and then transcribed into anonymous data. Themes will be generated through analysis of these transcripts and commonalities and differences between these themes will be explored. The themes will be corroborated with supervisors.
Obesity rates continue to rise in the UK and it is anticipated that findings from this study will help to gain more breadth and depth of understanding relating to the experiences which contribute to an individual becoming obese as well as factors which keep people obese.REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0254
Date of REC Opinion
20 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion