Piloting a Novel Intuitive Eating Intervention for College Women With Disordered Eating

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Disordered Eating Behaviors
• Interventions: Behavioral: Guided Self-Help; Behavioral: Group Intervention

• Registration Number: NCT03612661
• Lead Sponsor: Virginia Commonwealth University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research study is to pilot test a new intervention that helps young adult women learn adaptive eating and exercise strategies, increase their body acceptance, decrease unhealthy weight control behaviors and prevent future eating and problems. This intervention is experimental, and the study will test its feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness.

Detailed Description

The intervention, Intuitive Eating, is an eating approach that addresses important risk factors and promotes adaptive eating attitudes and behaviors. It has three central tenets: 1) unconditional permission to eat when hungry, 2) eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, and 3) eating according to hunger and satiety cues. Intuitive Eating has ten principles that focus on rejecting the dieting mentality, honoring hunger cues, decreasing restrictive behaviors that lead to deprivation and bingeing, challenging rigid food rules, increasing awareness of satiety, discovering the satisfaction of food, coping with emotions without food, respecting and accepting one's body, using exercise as self-care, and balancing nutrition with satisfaction.

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2018-07-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-08-01
• Study First Posted: 2018-08-02
• Study Start: 2018-09-14
• Primary Completion: 2019-06-19
• Study Completion: 2019-06-19
• Status Verified: 2019-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-08-09
• Last Update Posted: 2019-08-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 71

Inclusion Criteria

• Not currently pregnant
• Enrolled in postsecondary education at VCU
• Have body image or eating concerns

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Exclusion Criteria

• Eating disorder threshold risk
• Men
• Pregnant women

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Intuitive Eating Guided Self-Help	Guided Self-Help	Participants in this condition engage in 8 weeks of self-study of the intuitive eating intervention have \~20 minute weekly phone call with a study interventionist.
Intuitive Eating Group Intervention	Group Intervention	Intuitive eating intervention delivered in a group format with 8-10 women, led by 2 facilitators.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in intuitive eating	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) is a 23-item self-report measure of intuitive eating with three subscales: Unconditional Permission to Eat, Eating for Physical Rather Than Emotional Reasons, and Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues. Items are rated on a 1 to 5-point scale with higher scores indicating higher levels of intuitive eating.
Change in diagnostic eating disorder symptoms	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS) is a brief self-report measure that screens for the presence of subthreshold or threshold levels of ED symptoms. It yields a symptom composite score, to be used as the primary outcome measure. Items assessing body dissatisfaction, overvaluation of shape/weight, and impairment are measured on a 0 to 6-point scale with higher ratings indicating greater body dissatisfaction. Items evaluating the presence of compensatory behaviors and binge eating are rated yes/no and participants indicate the frequency these behaviors have occurred in the prior 3 months.
Change in global eating disorder symptoms	Baseline to 16 weeks	The EDE-Q is a 28-item self-report version of the Eating Disorder Examination that measures frequency of disordered eating cognitions and behaviors experienced in the previous 28 days. Participants rate the number of days behaviors have occurred in the last 28 days, with 0 = no days and 6 = every day. Yes/no questions identify the presence of compensatory and binge behaviors and participants indicate the frequency of these behaviors over the last 28 days. Higher EDE-Q scores indicate greater eating pathology.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in body functionality appreciation	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS) is a 7-item scale that measures appreciation for the functionality of one's body, which is believed to help offset appearance concerns. Items are rated on a 5-point scale with higher scores reflecting greater appreciation for the functionality of one's body.
Changes in intuitive exercise	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Intuitive Exercise Scale (IEXS) measures adaptive exercise behaviors that are guided by physical cues and flexibility rather than rigid rules or feelings of obligation. Items are rated on a 5-point scale, with higher scores reflecting more intuitive exercise behaviors.
Changes in weight bias internalization	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS-M) is a modified version of the Weight Bias Internalization Scale that was adapted for use with individuals across the weight spectrum. The WBIS-M measures the degree to which individuals apply weight-based stereotypes to themselves and use those to guide their weight self-evaluations. Items are rated on a 7-point scale, with higher scores reflecting greater degrees of weight bias internalization.
Change in body appreciation	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a 10-item measure of positive body image. Specifically, it assesses body appreciation, which reflects acceptance of and favorable opinions and respect towards one's body and a rejection of the narrow beauty ideals promoted through mass media. Items are rated on a 5-point scale with higher scores indicating greater body appreciation.
Changes in dietary restraint	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Dutch Restrained Eating Scale (DRES) contains 10 items that measure dietary restraint for the purpose of weight loss. Items are rated on a 5-point scale with higher scores reflecting greater dietary restraint.
Changes in interoceptive awareness	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Interoceptive Awareness subscale of the EDI-3 has 10 items that measure an individual's attunement to their internal state, including perceptions of emotions, hunger, and satiety. Items are rated on a 6-point scale, with higher scores reflecting greater deficits in interoceptive awareness.
Changes in satisfaction with life	Baseline to 16 weeks	The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is a 5-item scale that assesses global life satisfaction. Items are scored on a 7-point scale, with higher scores reflecting greater life satisfaction.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Virginia Commonwealth University; 🇺🇸 Richmond, Virginia, United States