Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04810403

SOMEBODY, a Social Media-based Eating Disorder Prevention Program

The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary evidence of potential efficacy of a social-media based intervention to reduce risk factors for eating disorders in college women.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Eating Disorder Symptom

Age range

18 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Florida State University Psychology Department

Tallahassee, Florida, 32304, United States

About this study

Previous research supports an association between specific aspects of social media use and increased eating pathology in correlational designs and that specific aspects of social media use cause increases in risk factors for eating disorders. The aim of the current project is to determine whether social media use can be altered to cause decreases in eating disorder risk factors. To accomplish this, college women will be recruited to participate in an open trial of a pilot program that adapts activities used within evidence-based eating disorder prevention programs to be used on social media platforms. The intervention is designed to target internalization of the thin ideal.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • female
  • 18 to 25 years old
  • score in the top 50th percentile for time spent on social media each day

Exclusion criteria

  • male
  • <18 years or >25 years old
  • individuals who screen positive for a Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5 eating disorder on the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale

Treatment and study plan

SOMEBODY Eating Disorder Prevention Program

Behavioral

Participants will receive daily activities to complete on their most frequently used social media platform for 14 consecutive days. Daily activities have been adapted from the Body Project - an intervention that has been demonstrated to reduce internalization of the thin ideal and reduce risk for eating disorders. Examples of activities to be piloted include unfollowing social media accounts the participant perceives as reinforcing the thin-ideal and posting a selfie without makeup or editing. Based on feedback from participants, the intervention may be altered to improve acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary evidence of potential efficacy.

Primary outcomes

  1. Acceptability of intervention

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Acceptability will be evaluated with 7-point Likert scale ratings, with a score ≥5 indicating that participants found the intervention acceptable

  2. Feasibility of intervention

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    Feasibility will be evaluated as the percentage of consented and enrolled participants who complete ≥10 of the 14 days of the intervention, with ≥80% indicating feasibility

  3. Change in internalization of the thin ideal

    Time frame: Pre-intervention assessment to post-intervention assessment (or approximately 14 days from baseline)

    The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire - 4 Revised (SATAQ-4R) Internalization Subscales will be used to measure internationalization of the thin ideal before and after the intervention. An effect size of d=.50 for within subject change in score will establish preliminary evidence of potential efficacy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in body image concerns

    Time frame: Pre-intervention assessment to post-intervention assessment (or approximately 14 days from baseline)

    The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Weight and Shape Concerns subscales adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in body image before and after the intervention

  2. Change in dietary restraint

    Time frame: Pre-intervention assessment to post-intervention assessment (or approximately 14 days from baseline)

    The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Dietary Restraint subscale adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in dietary restraint before and after the intervention

  3. Change in bulimic symptoms

    Time frame: Pre-intervention assessment to post-intervention assessment (or approximately 14 days from baseline)

    The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Self-Reported Bulimic Symptom Composite Score adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in bulimic symptom frequency before and after the intervention

  4. Change in disordered eating

    Time frame: Pre-intervention assessment to post-intervention assessment (or approximately 14 days from baseline)

    The Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire Global Score adapted for the past 7 days will be used to measure change in disordered eating before and after the intervention

  5. Change in social media use

    Time frame: Pre-intervention assessment to post-intervention assessment (or approximately 14 days from baseline)

    The Social Media Use Questionnaire items assessing frequency and type of engagement with social media will be used to measure change in social media use before and after the intervention

  6. Adherence to protocol - self-reported

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    The Social Media Use Questionnaire items assessing adherence to daily social media activities will be used to measure self-reported adherence after the intervention

  7. Adherence to protocol - observed

    Time frame: Daily for the 14 days of the intervention

    With participant consent, a research assistant will follow the social media account the participant plans to use for the SOMEBODY intervention and will complete a checklist on a daily basis (yes/no) on whether or not the participant completed the daily assignment

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Florida State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

An Open Trial Pilot Study of SOMEBODY, a Social Media-based Eating Disorder Prevention Program for College Women

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Mar 23, 2021
Registry last updated
May 4, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.