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Eating Disorder SymptomIMFABNCT04118972

In the Mirror: Functional Appreciated Bodies (IM FAB)

A study testing Mirror exposure and text prompt responses in people with Eating Disorder Symptom and Body Image Disturbance, run by Union College, New York at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The current project aims to examine the concept of promoting attention toward body functionality and gratitude using a weekly functionality-based mirror exposure and body functionality gratitude "journaling" text prompts three days a week for three weeks to examine whether this helps foster positive body image and… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Mirror exposure and text prompt responses
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
275 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
1 Apr 2018to 1 Dec 2021
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Undergraduate female aged 18-23 years.

Who cannot join

  • Self-definition as having an active eating disorder
  • Participation in the Body Project

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • University at Albany, State University of New York

    Albany, New York, 12222

  • Union College

    Schenectady, New York, 12308

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: In the Mirror: Functional Appreciated Bodies (IM FAB): Piloting an Easily Disseminable Primary Prevention Program

The current project aims to examine the concept of promoting attention toward body functionality and gratitude using a weekly functionality-based mirror exposure and body functionality gratitude "journaling" text prompts three days a week for three weeks to examine whether this helps foster positive body image and decrease eating disorder symptoms in a sample of undergraduate females, a population at particularly high risk of body image dissatisfaction and consequent eating disorder development.

Read the detailed description

Specific Aim 1. First, the project aims to test a gratitude-based body functionality primary prevention program, In the Mirror: Functional Appreciated Bodies (IM FAB), that incorporates mirror exposure with a greater intervention "dose" than that piloted by Brooks and Walker. The increased dose should allow for greater ability for participants to consolidate exposure-based learning. Specifically, more time instructed to appreciate the body's functionality allows for more occasions to redirect critical appearance-oriented cognitions to appreciative, function-based cognitions.

Specific Aim 2. Second, the project aims to pilot test a relatively minimalistic intervention that would be easily translated to app-based delivery format, to help overcome the most-cited barriers to prevention program participation noted by undergraduate students in universal prevention research. Specifically, undergraduate participants who were assigned to a prevention program but did not enroll questioned a need for counseling/therapy, reported preferring to deal with issues on their own, and cited a lack of time as reasons they did not enroll.

Specific Aim 3. Third, the project aims to test this specific functionality mirror exposure approach largely on its own, rather than as part of a multicomponent treatment program, so that its unique contribution in preventing body image dissatisfaction, and ultimately eating disorders, can be assessed. A main goal in prevention and treatment development remains to continuously test components of body-image interventions separately for efficacy.

Being tested
Mirror exposure and text prompt responses

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Mirror exposure and text prompt responsesBehavioural

    Participants in the active interventions have three weekly mirror exposure sessions that are either guided with specific instructions as to where to look and how (only in functionality condition)

Study groups in NCT04118972
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Functionality Mirror Exposure & JournalExperimentalA text-based functionality gratitude "journaling" prompt three times weekly paired with three weeks of weekly functionality-based guided mirror exposure sessions in the lab (the IM FAB program)
Receives: Behavioral: Mirror exposure and text prompt responses
Pure Mirror Exposure & Gratitude JournalActive comparatorThrice weekly generic (non body-focused) gratitude text prompts and pure mirror exposure in the lab. Participants are not given instructions on how to examine body parts, only instructed to examine the same specific body parts as the Functionality group to control specifically for impacts of the body functionality focus.
Receives: Behavioral: Mirror exposure and text prompt responses
Assessment only controlNo interventionAssessments at Week 1, Week 3, and 1- and 4-month follow-ups, identical to those received by participants in the active condition

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire scores (MBSRQ; Cash, 2000)

    69-item questionnaire with Likert-type scale ranging from 1-5. Trait body image satisfaction with subscales assessing: Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Fitness Evaluation, Fitness Orientation, Health Evaluation, Health Orientation, Illness Orientation, Body Areas Satisfaction, Overweight Preoccupation, and Self-Classified Weight; Scores are averaged for each subscale with a range of 1-5. Fitness, Health, and Appearance Evaluation scores that are higher reflect more positive attitudes about one's fitness, health, and appearance, respectively. Higher appearance, fitness, health, and illness orientation, and overweight preoccupation scores reflect greater investment in appearance, health, concerns about becoming ill, fitness, and preoccupation with weight. Higher Body Areas Satisfaction reflects more positive body image. Higher self-classified weight reflects self-reported higher weight categorization (e.g., overweight or obese)

    Measured: Change from Baseline MBSRQ scores to 20 weeks

  2. Change in Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale scores (EDDS; Stice, Fisher & Martinez, 2004)

    Eating disorder diagnostic scale for the DSM-5. This is a diagnostic measure, so participants respond to questions regarding binge eating, purging and other compensatory behaviors, weight and shape concern, weight loss, height, weight, and fear of weight gain to determine whether they meet diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, atypical anorexia nervosa, low frequency bulimia nervosa, low frequency binge eating disorder, purging disorder, or night eating syndrome. See http://www.ori.org/files/Static%20Page%20Files/EDDS_5.pdf for specific scoring instructions. Higher scale scores represent greater eating disorder pathology. As a diagnostic tool, respondents need to meet DSM-5 criteria for an eating disorder based on specific item responses, and would be scored as indicating a specific eating disorder diagnosis based on those specific item responses.

    Measured: Change from baseline EDDS scores to 20 weeks

  3. Change in Body Checking Questionnaire scores (BCQ; Reas, Whisenhunt, Netemeyer, & Williamson, 2002)

    Body checking questionnaire. 23-item 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1-5. Three subscales assess: Overall appearance checking, specific body part checking, and idiosyncratic checking. Items are summed for for each subscale and for a total score. Total score ranges from 23-115. Higher scores reflect greater frequency of body checking behaviors.

    Measured: Change from baseline BCQ scores to 20 weeks

  4. Change in Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire scores (BIAQ; Rosen, Srebnik, Saltzberg, & Wendt, 1991)

    Body image avoidance questionnaire. Measures avoidance of one's body across a range of evaluative contexts. 19 6-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0-5, with three items reverse scored (12, 13, and 19). Items are summed, with a possible range from 0-95. Higher scores reflect greater body image avoidance and are typically associated with greater psychopathology.

    Measured: Change from baseline BIAQ scores to 20 weeks

  5. Change in Body Appreciation Scale-2 scores (BAS-2; Tylka, & Wood-Barcalow, 2015)

    Body appreciation measure. 10-item 5-point Likert-type scale. Items reflect accepting and holding positive views about one's body. Items are averaged with higher scores reflecting great body appreciation.

    Measured: Change from baseline BAS-2 scores to 20 weeks

  6. Change in Functional Appreciation Scale scores (FAS; Alleva, Tylka, & Van Deist, 2017)

    Scale assesses appreciation of the body's functions. 7-item 5-point Likert-type scale with items ranging from 1-5. Items are averaged with greater scores reflecting greater appreciation of the functions and capabilities of one's body.

    Measured: Change from baseline FAS scores to 20 weeks

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Usability Metric for User Experience (UMUX; Finstad, 2010)

    4 7-point Likert-type items ranging from 0-6, after recoding, which assesses the usability and ease of the IMFAB protocol. The items are summed for a possible range of 0-24 points, with greater scores representing greater usability of the technology or protocol in question.

    Measured: Post-Intervention (Week 3)

  2. Feasibility of mobile application scale, derived from UMUX format

    5 7-point Likert-scale items and one open-ended item assessing feasibility of the IMFAB protocol delivery via mobile application. Questions range from 0-6 after recoding and are summed. Greater scores reflect higher ratings of feasibility of adopting IMFAB in mobile application format.

    Measured: Post-Intervention (Week 3)

  3. Engagement with IMFAB protocol scale, derived from UMUX format.

    9 7-point Likert-type scale items \& 3 open-ended questions assessing participant engagement with IM FAB protocol. Likert-type items range from 0-6 and are summed after reverse coding. Greater scores reflect more positive attitudes toward the intervention design (e.g., mirror exposure exercises and gratitude text prompts).

    Measured: Post-Intervention (Week 3)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted8 Oct 2019
  2. Study start1 Apr 2018
  3. Primary completion1 Jul 2021
  4. Study completion1 Dec 2021

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Participants are randomly assigned to one of two active conditions or a control group.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
275 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04118972
Sponsor's protocol ID
UnionC
Acronym
IMFAB
Status last verified
Dec 2023
First submitted
9 Oct 2018
Last updated
12 Dec 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: IPD will be shared 6 months after initial publication of data analyses from the current study. Researchers will need to submit a proposal for access to the dataset and demonstrate IRB approval for secondary analysis of the data, if using the dataset for research purposes.

Publications

  • Cash TF, Fleming EC, Alindogan J, Steadman L, Whitehead A. Beyond body image as a trait: the development and validation of the Body Image States Scale. Eat Disord. 2002 Summer;10(2):103-13. doi: 10.1080/10640260290081678.

    PubMed 16864251
  • Cash TF, Green GK. Body weight and body image among college women: perception, cognition, and affect. J Pers Assess. 1986 Summer;50(2):290-301. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa5002_15.

    PubMed 3761129
  • Tylka TL, Wood-Barcalow NL. The Body Appreciation Scale-2: item refinement and psychometric evaluation. Body Image. 2015 Jan;12:53-67. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.09.006. Epub 2014 Oct 21.

    PubMed 25462882
  • Reas DL, Whisenhunt BL, Netemeyer R, Williamson DA. Development of the body checking questionnaire: a self-report measure of body checking behaviors. Int J Eat Disord. 2002 Apr;31(3):324-33. doi: 10.1002/eat.10012.

    PubMed 11920995
  • Alleva JM, Tylka TL, Kroon Van Diest AM. The Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS): Development and psychometric evaluation in U.S. community women and men. Body Image. 2017 Dec;23:28-44. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.07.008. Epub 2017 Aug 17.

    PubMed 28822275
  • Stice E, Telch CF, Rizvi SL. Development and validation of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale: a brief self-report measure of anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder. Psychol Assess. 2000 Jun;12(2):123-31. doi: 10.1037//1040-3590.12.2.123.

    PubMed 10887758
  • Stice E, Fisher M, Martinez E. Eating disorder diagnostic scale: additional evidence of reliability and validity. Psychol Assess. 2004 Mar;16(1):60-71. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.16.1.60.

    PubMed 15023093
  • Froh JJ, Fan J, Emmons RA, Bono G, Huebner ES, Watkins P. Measuring gratitude in youth: assessing the psychometric properties of adult gratitude scales in children and adolescents. Psychol Assess. 2011 Jun;23(2):311-24. doi: 10.1037/a0021590.

    PubMed 21443367

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Mirror exposure and text prompt responses in people with Eating Disorder Symptom and Body Image Disturbance, run by Union College, New York at 2 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Dec 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in Multidimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire scores (MBSRQ; Cash, 2000) (time frame: Change from Baseline MBSRQ scores to 20 weeks). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04118972, which also lists 8 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Dec 2023.

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