A Randomized Controlled Trial Testing a Digital, Gamified Early Intervention for Eating Disorders ("FlexED")
Start Date
6/15/2026
Completion Date
7/31/2028
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a new digital intervention decreases eating disorder symptoms in young women and girls at risk by changing how they experience thoughts and feelings about their body. The digital intervention is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Participants will be randomly assigned (like a coin toss) to either the new digital intervention or education modules completed online. The main questions are: Does the digital intervention change how participants experience thoughts and feelings about their body or how they react to eating disorder triggers (e.g., images of idealized bodies)? Do these changes lead to decreases in eating disorder symptoms? Is the intervention acceptable and at the right dose? Participants will: Complete seven brief digital sessions over about 8 weeks. Complete interviews, surveys and lab assessments of reaction to body-related words and images. Participants are followed for about 1 year.
Eligibility Criteria
Age Range: 15 years to 25 years
Interventions
FlexED
Educational Control
Conditions
Locations
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina 27705
United States