Background/objectives: Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease treated through lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapy, and surgery. With the rise of social media, platforms like Instagram have become tools for lifestyle interventions. This study evaluated the impact of a cognitive-behavioral-therapy-based nutritional intervention via Instagram on body weight, eating behavior, and mental health in individuals with overweight and obesity.
Methods: A 5-week online intervention delivered daily nutritional, cognitive, and behavioral content via a private Instagram account using live sessions, reels, feed posts, polls, and stories. Standardized dietary plans were sent by e-mail. Self-reported weight and waist circumference and questionnaires on eating behavior, self-esteem, stress, and anxiety were collected. Engagement and interaction were measured through comments, likes, number of followers, story retention, participation in live sessions, and direct messages.
Results: The final sample included 66 participants (63 women), 27 with overweight and 39 with obesity, and a mean age of 40.5 ± 10.6 years. After the intervention, body weight decreased by 1.1 kg, while waist circumference remained unchanged. Participants with obesity showed significant improvements in binge eating, uncontrolled eating, self-esteem, stress, and anxiety, while those with overweight showed improvements in binge eating and stress. Weight loss was associated with reduced binge eating and lower cognitive restriction, while lower uncontrolled eating was related to decreased emotional eating, anxiety, and stress. Additionally, participation in live sessions was associated with reduced binge eating.
Conclusions: This online intervention via Instagram was effective in improving weight loss, eating behavior, and mental health symptoms in participants with overweight and obesity.
Keywords: eating behavior; internet-based intervention; lifestyle modification; obesity; online protocol; social media.