BFED: Investigating the Effects of Self-Help Eating Disorder Modules on a Community Sample

The intervention consists of 14 self-help cognitive behavioural therapy modules from the Centre for Clinical Interventions' (CCI) Break Free from ED manual (https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/Looking-After-Yourself/Disordered-Eating). The information within the modules is presented as written information with images. Each module will take approximately 60 minutes per week to complete. Following recruitment and the pre-screener, participants will complete baseline symptom monitoring. Following the baseline phase, participants will receive their weekly measures survey and access to that week’s module. For the first 9 modules, they will be emailed out weekly to participants. The email will provide minimal guidance, encouraging participants to complete this week’s measures and homework. In week 10, participants will be sent their weekly measures survey and the remaining 5 modules to complete at their own pace over the following month. In the one month follow-up survey, participants will be complete the measures survey, and asked which modules they engaged with. Three months post intervention, participants will be asked to complete a final measures survey. Adherence to the modules will be self-reported in the weekly and follow-up surveys. Module 1: What are Eating Disorders? This module introduces you to eating disorders, their impact on physical, psychological and social functioning, and some of the factors that can lead to the development of an eating disorder. Module 2: What Keeps Eating Disorders Going? This module takes you through the key factors that keep eating disorders going and introduces you to the ways in which this workbook will address each of these factors. Module 3: Understanding the Number on the Scale This module discusses the many factors that influence the number on the scale, explores how much control people really have over their weight, and introduces Weekly Weighing. Module 4: Self-monitoring This module introduces self-monitoring, a key strategy that assists you to record your eating behaviours, thoughts, and feelings in real time, focusing on patterns occurring throughout each week. Module 5: Food and Energy This module discusses the relationship between what you eat and your energy levels, highlighting the impacts of low and high energy and guiding you through understanding how your own eating impacts your energy levels. Module 6: Eating for Recovery - Part 1 This module introduces you to ‘Eating for Recovery’, focusing on establishing regular and adequate nutritional intake, and providing guidelines for change in these areas. Module 7: Eating for Recovery - Part 2 This module focuses on another aspect of ‘Eating for Recovery’, the variety of your nutritional intake, highlighting the importance of tackling rigid food rules and experimenting with feared foods. Module 8: Binge Eating This module provides information about binge eating and introduces strategies for reducing and ceasing this behaviour.; Module 9: Purging This module provides information about purging and introduces strategies for reducing and ceasing this behaviour. Module 10: Driven Exercise This module provides information about driven exercise and introduces strategies for developing a more healthy and balanced relationship with moving your body. Module 11: Body Image 1 - Body Checking This module discusses body checking and uses experiments to examine whether body checking is as helpful as you think and how we can reduce it. Module 12: Body Image 2 - Body Avoidance This module discusses body avoidance and introduces exposure experiments to reduce body avoidance. Module 13: Core Beliefs This module introduces core beliefs, discussing the role these play in maintaining eating disorder behaviours and introducing strategies to challenge them. Module 14: Maintaining Your Gains and Dealing with Setbacks This final module summarises the key strategies from the workbook and guides you through developing a plan for maintaining your gains and dealing with setbacks.