Observational studyJournal of medical Internet research2021
Detrimental Effects of Online Pro-Eating Disorder Communities on Weight Loss and Desired Weight: Longitudinal Observational Study.
Observational study in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 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
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Usage of Mobile Applications or Mobile Health Technology to Improve Diet Quality in Adults.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Experiencing Extreme Hunger in Anorexia Nervosa Recovery: A Qualitative Analysis of Reddit Narratives.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- User experience and perceived impact of the Eating Disorder Support App: a mixed-methods evaluation.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Evaluating Peer Online Forums to Support Health: Ethical and Practical Challenges.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Safe spaces or toxic places? Content moderation and social dynamics of online eating disorder communities.EPJ data science · 2025Article
- Psycholinguistic changes in the communication of adolescent users in a suicidal ideation online community during the COVID-19 pandemic.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2023Observational
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 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOnline pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) communities are considered harmful because of their detrimental effects on their users' body dissatisfaction, dieting, and help seeking. To date, it is unknown to which extent participation in pro-ED communities affects users' body weight and desired weight loss.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the changes in the current and desired body weight of users of a pro-ED community (r/proed) on the social media website Reddit over time.
methodsData on 1170 users and the unsolicited weight information they shared with the pro-ED community were collected over a period of 15 months. Linear growth models were used to model changes in the users' current and desired BMI over time.
resultsBoth current and desired BMI decreased over time, with a predicted rate of 0.087 and 0.015 BMI points per week, respectively. Weight loss was moderated by the users' activity level in the community, with more active users losing more weight. Users with a higher baseline BMI experienced greater weight loss, but even users with a very low baseline weight (BMI <17 kg/m
conclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate the detrimental effects of pro-ED communities in a longitudinal study based on a large data set of user-generated online data. The results extend the literature detailing the harmful effects of online pro-ED communities by showing users' weight loss, decreases in desired weight, and that higher activity levels lead to greater weight loss. Users could be driven to pursue very low, unrealistic weight loss goals by images of very thin bodies presented in these communities.
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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.