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Can a text message help treat anorexia? a new study tests personalized motivation

NCT ID NCT02076854

Disease control Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 20, 2026 · Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether personalized motivational text messages can help adults with anorexia nervosa increase their motivation to change and their calorie intake. Participants receive these texts alongside cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is provided at no cost. The study tracks changes in eating disorder symptoms, motivation, and how practical and acceptable the text-message program is.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
personalized motivational text messages as an adjunct to cognitive behavioral therapy
What this could lead to
If successful, this approach could offer a low-cost, scalable way to boost motivation and improve eating behaviors in people with anorexia nervosa.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study with only 12 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is an add-on to therapy, and its effects may be modest or hard to separate from the therapy itself.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

12 people

The number who actually took part.

Start date

Oct 2013

Finished

Feb 2015

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Anorexia nervosa/subthreshold anorexia nervosa (i.e., individuals who exhibit significant dietary restraint) * 18+ years old Exclusion Criteria: * BMI \< 16.5 * Medication instability for 6 weeks * Recent/current suicidal risk * Comorbid substance abuse or dependence, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or mental retardation * Inability to provide release of information to a medical provider

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

anorexia nervosa eating disorder Feeding and Eating Disorders

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Eating disorders

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Eating Disorders Program, Boston University

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

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