Development and Testing of a Mobile App to Scale Delivery of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT06898177

Massachusetts General Hospital60 enrolled

Overview

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a serious and impairing eating disorder - occurring in up to 4% of adults - for which most individuals do not have access to treatment. The proposed study aims to develop and test a mobile app to scale delivery of cognitive-behavioral therapy for ARFID. Knowledge gained will contribute to the development of a clinically accessible, scalable, inexpensive treatment for ARFID, a highly impairing disorder for which there are significant barriers to care access.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 55 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Current avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder based on DSM-5 criteria 2. Must not have completed face-to-face CBT-AR at the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital 3. Ability to speak, write, and understand English 4. Residence in the United States 5. Access to an internet-connected smartphone device Exclusion Criteria: 1. Underweight status (i.e., BMI \< 18.5 kg/m2) 2. Complete lack of oral intake or dependence on supplemental feeding 3. Feeding or eating disorder other than ARFID 4. Any comorbid clinically significant disorder that would require attention beyond the study treatment 6\. Medical instability requiring inpatient care according to the American Psychiatric Association 2023 treatment guidelines for eating disorders 7. Medical history of intellectual disability 8. Illiteracy

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pica, ARFID, and Rumination Disorder Interview - ARFID Questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q)

The PARDI-AR-Q is a 32-item self-report measure based on the Pica, ARFID, and Rumination Disorder Interview that assesses ARFID diagnostic criteria and the presence and severity of each ARFID profile. Severity scores for each profile range from 0-6, with higher scores indicating greater severity.

Time frame: Change from baseline (assessed at study entry) to final session, which occurs an average of eight weeks after baseline (measured at weekly study treatment sessions)

Food Neophobia Scale (FNS)

The Food Neophobia Scale is a 6-item measure that measures reluctance to try new foods. Scores range from 7-42. Higher scores on the FNS are indicative of greater behavioral responses to novel foods.

Time frame: Change from baseline (assessed at study entry) to final session, which occurs an average of eight weeks after baseline (measured at weekly study treatment sessions)

Central Contacts

Paraskevi Kambanis, PhD

CONTACT

617-724-0799 pkambanis@mgh.harvard.edu

Lily Palmer, BA

CONTACT

617-724-0799 lpalmer6@mgh.harvard.edu