Trial reportBMC psychiatry2012
Mental health first aid for eating disorders: pilot evaluation of a training program for the public.
Trial report in BMC psychiatry, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mental Health First Aid: A Systematic Review of Trainee Behavior and Recipient Mental Health Outcomes.Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) · 2022Pooled it
- Binge eating disorder recognition and stigma among an adult community sample.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Adaptation of mental health first aid guidelines for eating disorders for Iran.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Prevention and early intervention in eating disorders: findings from a rapid review.Journal of eating disorders · 2023Review
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Military First Line of Defense against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Second Epidemic Wave in Peru.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- #EatingDisorderRecovery: a qualitative content analysis of eating disorder recovery-related posts on Instagram.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2022Article
- Early detection of eating disorders: a scoping review.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2022Article
- Effects associated with the use of healthcare for eating disorders by women in the community: a longitudinal cohort study.BMJ open · 2020Article
- Exploring the knowledge and attitude of public about mental health problems: A pilot intervention for effective mental health promotion.Journal of education and health promotion · 2019Article
- Guidelines for the public on how to provide mental health first aid: narrative review.BJPsych open · 2018Review
- Development of guidelines for giving community presentations about eating disorders: a Delphi study.Journal of eating disorders · 2017Article
- 'teen Mental Health First Aid': a description of the program and an initial evaluation.International journal of mental health systems · 2016Article
- International training programs on eating disorders for professionals, caregivers, and the general public: A scoping review.Journal of eating disorders · 2015Article
- Perceived psychosocial impairment associated with eating disorder features: responses to a mental health literacy intervention.Journal of eating disorders · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEating disorders cause significant burden that may be reduced by early and appropriate help-seeking. However, despite the availability of effective treatments, very few individuals with eating disorders seek treatment. Training in mental health first aid is known to be effective in increasing mental health literacy and supportive behaviours, in the social networks of individuals with mental health problems. Increases in these domains are thought to improve the likelihood that effective help is sought. However, the efficacy of mental health first aid for eating disorders has not been evaluated. The aim of this research was to examine whether specific training in mental health first aid for eating disorders was effective in changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards people with eating disorders.
methodsA repeated measures, uncontrolled trial was conducted to establish proof of concept and provide guidance on the future design of a randomised controlled trial. Self-report questionnaires, administered at baseline, post-training and 6-month follow-up, assessed the effectiveness of the 4-hour, single session, mental health first aid training.
results73 participants completed the training and all questionnaires. The training intervention was associated with statistically significant increases in problem recognition and knowledge of appropriate mental health first aid strategies, which were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Sustained significant changes in attitudes and behaviours were less clear. 20 participants reported providing assistance to someone with a suspected eating disorder, seven of whom sought professional help as a result of the first aid interaction. Results provided no evidence of a negative impact on participants or the individuals they provided assistance to.
conclusionsThis research provides preliminary evidence for the use of training in mental health first aid as a suitable intervention for increasing community knowledge of and support for people with eating disorders to seek appropriate help.
trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611001181998.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.