Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Managing Obesity in People With Chronic Kidney Disease

The inclusion of clinical psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions in the management of overweight and obese patients can contribute significantly to the success of lifestyle changes and higher motivation for weight loss. Indeed, cognitive processes play an important role in the maintenance of dysfunctional eating patterns. Cognitive-behavioural therapy and behavioural therapies are widely used in the weight loss process. The starting point of behavioural and cognitive-behavioural therapies is that behaviours are learned and therefore can be unlearned, changed or replaced through a therapeutic process involving a variety of behavioural and cognitive techniques. Individualised cognitive-behavioural therapy for obesity management has three central goals, namely i) losing and maintaining an appropriate weight, ii) adopting and maintaining a lifestyle that allows for appropriate weight control, and iii) developing a stable mindset about weight control. In the therapeutic process, the therapist develops a collaborative relationship with the patient, in which the patient plays an active role in abandoning unhealthy lifestyle habits and developing more appropriate ones that facilitate the achievement and maintenance of a healthy weight. The approach has been designed for different levels of obesity, is delivered in an individual or group format and includes a preparatory phase (one to two sessions) in which the level of obesity, associated medical and psychological problems are assessed and the patient is engaged in the treatment, followed by a first phase, focused on weight loss, and a second phase, focused on weight maintenance. The content of the programme includes behavioural strategies to help weight loss and environmental modification, cognitive techniques and techniques to prevent weight regain. The treatment programme will consist of 12 sessions spread over four months. The initial sessions will focus on weight loss, while the later sessions will focus on consolidation or learning strategies for weight maintenance. Obesity is one of the common health problems encountered by patients with chronic kidney disease. By making lifestyle changes and reducing weight, individuals can achieve a slower disease progression and a better quality of life. Knowledge in this area would be useful for the planning of clinical psychological and medical management of patients with chronic kidney disease and would also shed light on the role of the psychologist in the management of this patient population. The specific objectives of the study are: * To investigate the effectiveness of an individualised cognitive behavioural therapy programme for the management of obesity in patients with chronic kidney disease. * To analyse the association of psychological variables with the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioural intervention. * Analysis of the impact of a cognitive behavioural intervention for obesity management on quality of life, depression and anxiety.