Can a phone app tame disordered eating? small study tests personalized Self-Help
NCT ID NCT05920720
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested a self-guided smartphone program for women with disordered eating. Twenty women used their phones to track eating habits for two weeks, then received two personalized treatment modules. Researchers checked if the program was easy to use and if it helped reduce symptoms like anxiety and depression over two months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- self-guided personalized mobile treatment modules
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a convenient, low-cost way for women to manage disordered eating symptoms on their own.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early study with only 20 participants and no control group. Results may not apply to everyone, and the app may not be effective for all users.
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
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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
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2025
- Finished
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Mar 2026
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Endorse disordered eating (score of 2.3 or above on EDE-Q6) * Age 18-65 * Ability to read and write English * Own a smartphone or tablet Exclusion Criteria: * Active mania * Active suicidality * Active psychosis
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Eating Anxiety Treatment Laboratory and Clinic
Louisville, Kentucky, 40205-1016, United States
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