Guidinger, Claire2018-05-102018-05-102017-08https://hdl.handle.net/11299/196502A Plan B Research Project submitted to the faculty of University of Minnesota by Claire L. Guidinger in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Psychological Sciences (Clinical Counseling), August 2017.Young adulthood, in particular, is a time of increased risk of weight gain. Indeed,weight gain of 3-5 pounds among college freshmen has been well documented. Given the high rates of obesity, prevention efforts have become a national priority. This Plan B Project evaluated the efficacy of a brief Appetite Awareness Training Intervention in preventing weight gain in young adult women. Appetite Awareness Training (Craighead,2006) aims to increase an individual's ability to eat intuitively based on bodily hunger and satiety cues, rather than external or emotional cues, thereby potentially preventing weight gain. This study was a randomized control trial that used a 3x2 mixed factorial design with participants (n = 89) assigned to one of three groups: Appetite Awareness Training (AAT, n = 31), Nutrition Education (NE, n = 29), or a no-treatment control(NTC, n = 29). Primary (weight, BMI, body fat %, and waist circumference)and secondary(self-regulatory eating processes) outcome variables were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. The findings of this study revealed no statistically significant differences between groups on primary outcome variables, but AAT participants experienced a substantially greater increase in weight management self-efficacy at post-treatment compared to the NE and NTC groups.enWeight gain preventionFirst-year college studentsFreshman weight gainObesity preventionWomenCollege of Education and Human Service ProfessionsDepartment of PsychologyMaster of ArtsPlan Bs (project-based master's degrees)University of Minnesota DuluthMaster of Arts in Psychological ScienceClinical Counseling trackScholarly Text or Essay