Line Wisting1,2, Severina Haugvik3,4, Anne Louise Wennersberg1, Trine Wiig Hage1, Eric Stice5, Marion P Olmsted6, Ata Ghaderi7, Cathrine Brunborg8, Torild Skrivarhaug2,3,4,9, Knut Dahl-Jørgensen2,3,4,9, Øyvind Rø1,10. 1. Regional Department for Eating Disorders, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. 2. Oslo Diabetes Research Centre, Oslo, Norway. 3. Division of Childhood and Adolescent Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. 4. The Norwegian Diabetes Centre, Oslo, Norway. 5. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA. 6. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. 7. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 8. Oslo Centre of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Research Support Services, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. 9. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. 10. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Mental Health and Addiction, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a virtual diabetes-specific version of the eating disorder (ED) prevention program the Body Project, and to assess feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this program for young females with type 1 diabetes. METHOD: Young females with type 1 diabetes aged 16-35 years were invited to participate in the study. A total of 35 participants were allocated to five Diabetes Body Project groups (six meetings over 6 weeks) and completed pretest assessments; 26 participants completed all sessions and posttest assessments (<7 days after last meeting). Primary measures included ED risk factors and symptoms, and secondary outcomes included diabetes-specific constructs previously found to be associated with ED psychopathology (e.g., diabetes distress and illness perceptions). RESULTS: The ease of recruitment, timely conduct of five groups, moderate drop-out rate and appreciation of the intervention by participants indicated that the Diabetes Body Project is feasible. Meaningful reductions occurred on the primary outcomes (i.e., ED psychopathology, body dissatisfaction, and thin ideal internalization) and on internalization of appearance ideals and appearance pressures at posttest (Cohen's d ranging from .63 to .83, which are medium to large effects). Small to medium effect sizes were found for diabetes illness perceptions and distress (.41 and .48, respectively). DISCUSSION: The virtual Diabetes Body Project is a promising and much-needed intervention, worthy of more rigorous evaluation. A randomized controlled trial is warranted to determine its effectiveness compared with a control condition.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a virtual diabetes-specific version of the eating disorder (ED) prevention program the Body Project, and to assess feasibility and preliminary efficacy of this program for young females with type 1 diabetes. METHOD: Young females with type 1 diabetes aged 16-35 years were invited to participate in the study. A total of 35 participants were allocated to five Diabetes Body Project groups (six meetings over 6 weeks) and completed pretest assessments; 26 participants completed all sessions and posttest assessments (<7 days after last meeting). Primary measures included ED risk factors and symptoms, and secondary outcomes included diabetes-specific constructs previously found to be associated with ED psychopathology (e.g., diabetes distress and illness perceptions). RESULTS: The ease of recruitment, timely conduct of five groups, moderate drop-out rate and appreciation of the intervention by participants indicated that the Diabetes Body Project is feasible. Meaningful reductions occurred on the primary outcomes (i.e., ED psychopathology, body dissatisfaction, and thin ideal internalization) and on internalization of appearance ideals and appearance pressures at posttest (Cohen's d ranging from .63 to .83, which are medium to large effects). Small to medium effect sizes were found for diabetes illness perceptions and distress (.41 and .48, respectively). DISCUSSION: The virtual Diabetes Body Project is a promising and much-needed intervention, worthy of more rigorous evaluation. A randomized controlled trial is warranted to determine its effectiveness compared with a control condition.
Keywords:
body dissatisfaction; body image; diabetes mellitus, type 1; feeding and eating disorders; health psychology; population at risk; preventive programs