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Background

College students encounter challenges in managing their weight. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention compared to online education (control) on body composition and self-determination theory constructs among college students with overweight.

Methods

This was a randomized clinical trial of 40 college students comparing an MI versus a control group. The MI group received monthly interviews: three face-to-face interviews before the pandemic, and three video chat interviews after the outbreak of COVID-19 spanning a total of 6 months. The control group received 6 monthly education modules. Body composition was measured by the iDexa, and self-determination theory (SDT) variables were assessed with surveys.

Results

Mixed analysis of variance [ANOVAs] from pre-post revealed significant changes in fat mass (P=0.03, η²=0.22), lean mass (P<0.05, η²=00.18), body fat percentage (P<0.01, η²=0.37), autonomy (P<0.01, η²=0.38), relatedness (P<0.01, η²=0.41), amotivation (P=0.01, η²=0.29), external regulation (P=0.02, η²=0.23), identified regulation (P=0.02, η²=0.25), integrated regulation (P<0.00, η²=0.49), and intrinsic regulation (P=0.01, η²=0.27).

Conclusions

In this exploratory analysis, MI demonstrated a positive trend in body composition maintenance when compared to online education among overweight college students during a national pandemic. Future studies utilizing MI would enhance the literature by further investigating the relationship between MI and SDT and measuring body composition.

Read an interview about the study here and expert commentary about it here.