The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals around the world. With the disruption to daily life, many people have experienced changes in their eating habits and physical activity levels, leading to an increase in weight gain. To address this issue, researchers have developed a web-based, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based, guided self-help intervention called Supporting Weight Management during COVID-19 (SWiM-C). This intervention was recently evaluated in a twelve-month follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.

The study included a total of 562 participants, who were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group received access to the SWiM-C program, which included a series of online modules, videos, and activities designed to help participants manage their weight during the pandemic. The control group received access to a website with general information about healthy eating and physical activity.

At the twelve-month follow-up, the researchers found that the intervention group had significantly greater reductions in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than the control group. Furthermore, the intervention group also reported greater improvements in psychological wellbeing, including reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression.

Overall, the results of this study suggest that the SWiM-C intervention is an effective way to support weight management during the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention was found to be associated with significant reductions in and waist circumference, as well as improvements in psychological wellbeing. This suggests that the intervention could be a useful tool for individuals who are struggling to manage their weight during the pandemic.

The findings of this study are encouraging and suggest that web-based, ACT-based, guided self-help interventions could be a useful tool for supporting weight management during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, further research is needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of this intervention.