State-wide university implementation of an online platform for eating disorders screening and intervention.

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Ellen E. Fitzsimmons-Craft
  • Marie-Laure Firebaugh
  • Andrea K. Graham
  • Dawn Eichen M.
  • Grace Monterubio
  • Katherine N. Balantekin
  • Anna M. Karam
  • Annie Seal
  • Burkhardt Funk
  • C. Barr Taylor
  • Denise Wilfley
The Internet-based Healthy Body Image (HBI) Program platform uses online screening to identify individuals at low risk for, high risk for, or with an eating disorder (ED) and then directs users to tailored, evidence-based online/mobile interventions or referral to in-person care to address individuals' risk/clinical status. We examined findings from the first state-wide deployment of HBI over the course of 3 years in Missouri public universities, sponsored by the Missouri Eating Disorders Council and the Missouri Mental Health Foundation. First, the screen was completed 2,454 times, with an average of 2.5% of the undergraduate student body on each campus taking the screen. Second, ED risk level in the participating students was high-over 56% of students screened were identified as being at high risk for ED onset or having a clinical/subclinical ED. Third, uptake for the HBI online/mobile interventions ranged from 44-51%, with higher rates of uptake in the high-risk compared with low-risk group. Fourth, results showed that, for students with a clinical/subclinical ED, use of the clinical mobile application Student Bodies-Eating Disorders intervention resulted in significantly decreased restrictive eating and binge eating. Neither vomiting nor diet pill/laxative use was found to decrease, but reports of these behaviors were very low. This is the first deployment of a comprehensive online platform for screening and delivering tailored interventions to a population of individuals with varying ED risk and symptom profiles in an organized care setting. Implications for future research and sustaining and broadening the reach of HBI are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Original languageEnglish
JournalPsychological Services
Volume16
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)239-249
Number of pages11
ISSN1541-1559
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05.2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
State-wide deployment of HBI was sponsored by the Missouri Eating Disorders Council and the Missouri Mental Health Foundation. The Missouri Eating Disorders Council is a state-mandated council within the Missouri Department of Mental Health and was passed into law in 2010 to improve access to treatment, raise awareness, and provide education related to EDs. After members

Funding Information:
Financial support for this work includes MOA 2013—MMHF/WU, MMHF—2016-1 Eating Disorders, and MMHF—2016-2 Eating Disorders. This research was also supported by R01 MH100455, T32 HL007456, T32 HL130357, and F32 HD089586 from the National Institutes of Health. Stanford, Washington University, and Denise E. Wilfley received royalties from Lantern for the use of this program but does not have any equity in the company. We sincerely thank the Missouri Eating Disorders Council, participating universities, intervention coaches, and Lantern for their support of this work, without whom this initiative would not have been possible.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Psychological Association.

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