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Teaching teens to manage their feelings — not just their diets — may be the key to keeping weight off. A randomized clinical trial in JAMA Network Open found that adolescents who received emotion regulation training alongside standard obesity treatment were far more likely to sustain meaningful weight loss a year after the program ended. The add-on skills also significantly reduced emotional eating compared to standard care alone.
Teaching teens to manage their feelings — not just their diets — may be the key to keeping weight off. A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open found that adolescents who received emotion regulation training on top of standard family-based behavioral treatment were significantly more likely to maintain clinically meaningful weight loss a year after the program ended. The add-on skills also led to significantly less emotional eating at follow-up.
The training taught teens to identify their emotions, distinguish physical hunger from stress or boredom, and "ride the urge to eat like a wave" before choosing a more appropriate response — like a walk, slow breathing, or texting a friend. Researchers believe the skills became especially valuable once the structured support of the program was removed.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With adolescent obesity affecting nearly 1 in 4 U.S. teens, long-term weight maintenance remains a major challenge. This study suggests that addressing the emotional drivers of eating could be a meaningful — and underutilized — component of comprehensive obesity care.
