Trial reportThe International journal of eating disorders2022
Effectiveness of an online self-help program, expert-patient support, and their combination for eating disorders: Results from a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in The International journal of eating disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital Mental Health Interventions in Obesity Management: A Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Recommendations.Current obesity reports · 2026Pooled it
- Mental Health Impacts of Self-Help Interventions for the Treatment and Prevention of Eating Disorders. A Meta-Analysis.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Behavior Change Techniques Within Digital Interventions for the Treatment of Eating Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mental health · 2024Pooled it
- User Experience and Therapeutic Alliance of Treatment Completers of Clinician-Supported Versus Self-Help Online Intervention for Eating Disorders: A Mixed Methods Approach.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of an online self-help program, expert-patient support, and their combination for eating disorders: Results from a randomized controlled trial.The International journal of eating disorders · 2022Trial
- Design, Implement, Sustain: Advancing Program-Led Interventions for Binge Eating, a Narrative Review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Review
- Lived experience perspectives of receiving peer support in eating disorders.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Benefits of a brief, remote psychoeducation intervention in treating eating disorders: a preliminary study in a predominantly AN/BN sample.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2026Article
- "It didn't feel like they cared": exploring factors that influence privacy and disclosure in disordered eating and eating disorders (DEEDs).Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an online transdiagnostic positive psychology intervention for patients awaiting mental health treatment and their loved ones: study protocol.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Feasibility and acceptability of a peer-led mindful self-compassion program for adults with eating disorder symptoms.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- The feasibility, acceptability and clinical impact of a guided self-help mobile intervention (INTERconNEcT-EDs) for individuals with eating disorders: protocol for two multicenter randomized controlled trials.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Understanding Personalized Dynamics in Eating Disorders: A Dynamic Time Warp Analysis.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Psychological, economic, and ethical factors in human feedback for a chatbot-based smoking cessation intervention.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of unguided internet-based computer self-help platforms for eating disorders (with or without an associated app): A systematic review.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Article
- Early evaluation of a DBT-informed online intervention for people with eating disorders.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Longer-term impact of COVID-19 among individuals with self-reported eating disorders in the United States, the Netherlands, and Sweden.The International journal of eating disorders · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMany individuals with an eating disorder do not receive appropriate care. Low-threshold interventions could help bridge this treatment gap. The study aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of Featback, a fully automated online self-help intervention, online expert-patient support and their combination.
methodA randomized controlled trial with a 12-month follow-up period was conducted. Participants aged 16 or older with at least mild eating disorder symptoms were randomized to four conditions: (1) Featback, a fully automated online self-help intervention, (2) chat or email support from a recovered expert patient, (3) Featback with expert-patient support and (4) a waiting list control condition. The intervention period was 8 weeks and there was a total of six online assessments. The main outcome constituted reduction of eating disorder symptoms over time.
resultsThree hundred fifty five participants, of whom 43% had never received eating disorder treatment, were randomized. The three active interventions were superior to a waitlist in reducing eating disorder symptoms (d = -0.38), with no significant difference in effectiveness between the three interventions. Participants in conditions with expert-patient support were more satisfied with the intervention. DISCUSSION: Internet-based self-help, expert-patient support and their combination were effective in reducing eating disorder symptoms compared to a waiting list control condition. Guidance improved satisfaction with the internet intervention but not its effectiveness. Low-threshold interventions such as Featback and expert-patient support can reduce eating disorder symptoms and reach the large group of underserved individuals, complementing existing forms of eating disorder treatment. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Individuals with eating-related problems who received (1) a fully automated internet-based intervention, (2) chat and e-mail support by a recovered individual or (3) their combination, experienced stronger reductions in eating disorder symptoms than those who received (4) usual care. Such brief and easy-access interventions play an important role in reaching individuals who are currently not reached by other forms of treatment.
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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.