ArticleThe International journal of eating disorders2023
A pilot multiple-baseline study of a mobile cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of eating disorders in university students.
Article in The International journal of eating disorders, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of Digital Mental Health Interventions for College Students: A Systematic Review.Current psychiatry reports · 2024Pooled it
- Developing Transdiagnostic Single-Session Interventions for University Students Experiencing Disordered Eating: A Mixed-Method Co-Design Study.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Recent Advances in Sleep and Circadian Characteristics in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review of the Last Five Years (2020-2025).Nature and science of sleep · 2026Review
- Feasibility and Acceptability of Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia After Eating Disorder Treatment: The TIRED Study.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Changes in insomnia and binge-eating symptom severity before and after treatment of eating disorders in individuals with non-low-weight binge-spectrum disorders.Journal of sleep research · 2025Article
- Article
- The Building Healthy Eating and Self-Esteem Together for University Students Mobile App to Treat Eating Disorders: User-Centered Research Design and Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveEating disorders (EDs) are serious psychiatric disorders associated with substantial morbidity and mortality that are prevalent among university students. Because many students do not receive treatment due to lack of access on university campuses, mobile-health (mHealth) adaptations of evidence-based treatments represent an opportunity to increase treatment accessibility and engagement. The purpose of this study was to test the initial efficacy of Building Healthy Eating and Self-Esteem Together for University Students (BEST-U), which is a 10-week mHealth self-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT-gsh) app that is paired with a brief 25-30-min weekly telehealth coaching, for reducing ED psychopathology in university students.
methodA non-concurrent multiple-baseline design (N = 8) was used to test the efficacy of BEST-U for reducing total ED psychopathology (primary outcome), ED-related behaviors and cognitions (secondary outcomes), and ED-related clinical impairment (secondary outcome). Data were examined using visual analysis and Tau-BC effect-size calculations.
resultsBEST-U significantly reduced total ED psychopathology and binge eating, excessive exercise, and restriction (effect sizes ranged from -0.39 to -0.92). Although body dissatisfaction decreased, it was not significant. There were insufficient numbers of participants engaging in purging to evaluate purging outcomes. Clinical impairment significantly reduced from pre-to-post-treatment. DISCUSSION: The current study provided initial evidence that BEST-U is a potentially efficacious treatment for reducing ED symptoms and ED-related clinical impairment. Although larger-scale randomized controlled trials are needed, BEST-U may represent an innovative, scalable tool that could reach greater numbers of underserved university students than traditional intervention-delivery models. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Using a single-case experimental design, we found evidence for the initial efficacy of a mobile guided-self-help cognitive-behavioral therapy program for university students with non-low weight binge-spectrum eating disorders. Participants reported significant reductions in ED symptoms and impairment after completion of the 10-week program. Guided self-help programs show promise for filling an important need for treatment among university students with an ED.
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