A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based posttreatment care for patients with eating disorders.

Background: Despite effective treatment approaches, relapses are frequent in eating disorders. Posttreatment care is essential to enhance continuous recovery and prevent deterioration. This study evaluated the effects of an Internet-based intervention following routine care.

Materials And Methods: One hundred five women who received treatment for bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders not otherwise specified were randomly assigned either to an immediate Internet-based support program (EDINA) over 4 months or to a 4-month waiting-list treatment as usual (TAU) control condition. The primary outcome was eating disorder-related attitudes at baseline and after 4 months assessed by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q).

Results: The program proved feasible and was well accepted. A significant reduction in eating disorder-related attitudes could be shown for both groups at the end of the 4 months. There was a tendency for participants of the aftercare intervention to show better results on all outcome measures. In total, 40.6% (13/32) of the EDINA participants and 24.4% (10/41) of the TAU participants showed statistically reliable improvement on the EDE-Q total score by the end of the intervention period [χ(2)(1)=2.195, p=0.138].

Conclusions: The Internet-based support program was feasible and well accepted but did not prove efficacious in a heterogeneous sample of patients following routine care.