Project VIBE: Virtual Intervention for Binge Eating in Adolescents

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH · Feb 4, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Project VIBE trial is testing a new mobile app designed to help teenagers who struggle with binge eating and have elevated weight. This innovative program aims to teach young people better ways to manage their eating habits over a 16-week period. Participants will use the app to track their eating behaviors and will provide feedback on how easy the app is to use and how well it helps them.

To be eligible for this study, teens must be between the ages of 12 and 18, have a body mass index (BMI) in the top 25% for their age and sex, and have experienced recent episodes of losing control over their eating or overeating. Participants will need a smartphone and internet access to participate. It's important to note that certain conditions, like being pregnant or having other serious eating disorders, would disqualify someone from joining. Overall, this trial offers a chance for teens to gain support in managing their eating behaviors with the help of modern technology.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • BMI≥75th percentile for their age and sex
• • Report recent loss of control eating and/or overeating (≥3 episodes of either type of eating behavior in the past 3 months)
• • Have an email address, Smartphone, and regular access to the internet
• • Be willing and able to measure their height and weight prior to study enrollment
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Report more than 2 instances of compensatory behavior (e.g. diuretics, laxatives, vomiting, driven exercise) in the past 3 months
• • Not fluent in English at a third-grade reading level or higher
• • Currently taking medications known to affect weight or appetite or concurrently involved in treatment for eating or weight disorders
• • Meet criteria for a medical or psychiatric condition (e.g., diabetes, bulimia nervosa) known to significantly affect eating or weight, aside from binge eating disorder
• • Developmental or cognitive delay precluding participation in the intervention
• • Currently pregnant or lactating