Bridging waiting time with internet-based self-help for bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorders and other specified feeding and eating disorders
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN12608780 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN12608780 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsor | Technical University Dresden (Technische Universität Dresden) |
| Funder | European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation |
- Submission date
- 25/02/2016
- Registration date
- 26/02/2016
- Last edited
- 06/03/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Eating disorders are a group of common conditions which are defined by an abnormal attitude towards food. Anyone can develop and eating disorder although they are far more common in women, particularly those who are in early adulthood. Bulimia nervosa is a serious mental health condition in which a person excessively overeats (binging) and then takes action to remove the food from the body quickly, such as by vomiting or using laxatives (purging). Binge eating disorder also involves binging but lacks the purging element, making it a very different disorder. It can take time for patients affected by these disorders to receive therapy, and so self-help programs could help to bridge this time gap. Self-help programs might be used as first step of treatment or to bridge waiting time for face-to-face outpatient treatment. It is unclear however, how this type of treatment could affect later outpatient therapy and whether it leads to a faster reduction of bulimic symptoms. The everyBody-Plus program is a treatment based on cognitive behavioural therapy (a type of therapy that aims to change the way people think and behave). It involves education about different aspects of eating disorders as well as self-monitoring, a personal journal and behavioural exercises. The aim of this study is to find out whether the everyBody-Plus program can help to reduce eating disorder symptoms and stop sufferers from binging and purging while they await outpatient therapy.
Who can participate?
Women who are seeking treatment for bulimia, binge eating disorder or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group receive the everyBody-Plus program. This consists of eight weekly sessions that cover topics relating to eating and exercise patterns, coping with stress, improving body image and binge eating/purging. The participants are also asked to keep a journal and monitor their eating disorder symptoms, which they will receive weekly, personal feedback on. Those in the second group do not take part in any additional treatment during the wait for outpatient therapy, however they are also asked to monitor their eating disorder symptoms and keep a journal. At the start of the study, after the program ends and then six and 12 months later, participants in both groups complete a number of questionnaires in order to assess their eating disorder symptoms. The amount of time from the start of the study until patients show a clinical improvement (i.e. not binging/purging for at least four weeks and having a healthy weight) is also recorded for all participants.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants will benefit from being awarded points for each completed assessment which they are able to redeem for rewards. There are no direct risks to participants taking part in this study.
Where is the study run from?
1. Technical University Dresden (Germany)
2. King’s College London (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September 2015 to June 2020
Who is funding the study?
European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Belgium)
Who is the main contact?
Prof. Corinna Jacobi (scientific), corinna.jacobi@tu-dresden.de
(no longer a contact as of 06/08/2021:
Dr Ina Beintner (scientific), ina.beintner@tu-dresden.de)
Contact information
Scientific
Technische Universität Dresden
Institut für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie
Chemnitzer Straße 46a
Dresden
01187
Germany
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-0982-0596 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +49 (0)351 463 38576 |
| Corinna.Jacobi@tu-dresden.de |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Pragmatic multi-country multi-centre randomised controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Using Internet-based self-help to bridge waiting time for face-to-face outpatient treatment for Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders (OSFED) |
| Study objectives | everyBody-Plus will be associated with both a more rapid reduction of core eating disorder symptoms and higher abstinence rates compared with the waiting list group. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Ethics Committee at Technische Universität Dresden, 25/02/2016, ref: EK84032016 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) |
| Intervention | Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Intervention group: Participants will receive everyBody Plus, based on eating disorder-specific cognitive-behavioural therapy. It consists of 8 weekly sessions and includes reading assignments, self-monitoring, a personal journal and behavioural exercises. Topics covered are healthy eating and exercise patterns, dealing with “forbidden foods” and binge eating/purging, improving body image, coping with stress and negative emotions, and self-esteem. Patients will receive weekly personal feedback based on their self-monitoring and journal entries. The program is supplemented by a moderated asynchronous discussion board to exchange experiences and thoughts with other patients. Trained clinical psychologists supervised by the study PIs will provide personal feedback and moderate the online discussion board. Further assessments will take place at post-intervention, 6- and 12-month follow-up. The Internet-based and therefore site-independent intervention will be guided by staff at TU Dresden (German version) and King’s College London (English version). Control group: Participants will only be prompted to complete the weekly self-monitoring of core ED symptoms as well as the post- and follow-up assessments. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Number of weeks after randomisation until a patient achieves a clinical relevant improvement* in core symptoms for the first time will be measured using a weekly symptom monitoring that includes questions about the number of binge eating and compensatory behaviours (vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise, use of laxatives, diuretics or appetite suppressants) and the current body weight of the participant. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Number of therapy sessions after randomisation until a participant achieves a clinical relevant improvement for the first time. To obtain this information, cooperating therapists will be asked to provide information about the number of therapy session utilized by the participant once per quarter. |
| Completion date | 30/06/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Target sample size at registration | 275 |
| Total final enrolment | 114 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Women aged 18 or older 2. Seeking treatment from cooperating psychotherapists for Bulimia nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder or OSFED 3. Access to the Internet 4. Informed consent (online) |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Women not eligible for treatment due to low symptom severity, according to judgement of cooperating therapist 2. Women with a BMI under 18.5 3. Women with an indication for inpatient eating disorder treatment according to judgement of cooperating therapist 4. Women with significant psychiatric comorbidity needing treatment in its own right (e.g., substance dependence), major psychiatric disorders (e.g., psychosis) or are acutely suicidal women 5. Women receiving antidepressant medication who have not been on a stable dose for at least four weeks |
| Date of first enrolment | 16/11/2016 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/05/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
- Germany
Study participating centres
Dresden
01187
Germany
London
WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Prof. Corinna Jacobi (corinna.jacobi@tu-dresden.de). |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 26/02/2024 | 06/03/2024 | Yes | No | |
| Protocol article | protocol | 26/02/2018 | 18/06/2019 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
06/03/2024: Publication reference added.
06/08/2021: A contact was removed from the record.
20/07/2020: The total final enrolment number has been added.
13/03/2020: Internal review.
18/06/2019: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment start date was changed from 15/04/2016 to 16/11/2016.
2. The overall trial end date was changed from 31/08/2019 to 30/06/2020.
3. The intention to publish date was changed from 31/08/2020 to 30/06/2021.
4. The publication and dissemination plan was updated.
5. Publication reference added.
27/03/2018: IPD sharing statement added.
26/03/2018: The recruitment end date was changed from 15/02/2018 to 31/05/2019.
30/03/2016: Ethics approval information added.
