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Preventing Eating Disorders by Improving Mental Health Literacy in Chinese Adolescents

Preventing Eating Disorders by Improving Mental Health Literacy in Chinese Adolescents: A Non-randomized Cluster Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05428046
Enrollment
1395
Registered
2022-06-22
Start date
2021-11-18
Completion date
2022-06-05
Last updated
2022-07-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Eating Disorders, Mental Health Literacy

Brief summary

Mental health literacy (MHL) is necessary for the prevention, detection, and treatment of eating disorders, whereas the MHL about eating disorders is inadequate in China. Thus, the current study aimed to improve the MHL for eating disorders among Chinese adolescents via a brief online intervention.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMHL intervention

The current MHL intervention is a brief online intervention and comprises two modules. The first module is a short video introducing a teenage girl with bulimia nervosa. The second module is an online lecture comprising information about eating disorders including the prevalence, symptoms, type, cause, treatment, a related symptom checker, and sources of help. The above two modules are implemented in a single session lasting approximately 2 hours.

BEHAVIORALWaiting list

Participants assigned to the waiting list group will not receive any intervention until the end of the 12 weeks follow-up. They received the same intervention as the MHL intervention group after the 12 weeks follow-up test.

Sponsors

Peking University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Middle school students

Exclusion criteria

\-

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Eating disorders mental health literacypre-intervention, post-intervention, 4 weeks follow-up, 12 weeks follow-upThe vignette for eating disorders mental health literacy was developed for the current study. The vignette describes a 14-year old girl who has bulimia nervosa. We also conducted a 5-point Likert scale to assess the knowledge, attitude, and help-seeking behaviors of eating disorders. Higer scores indicating a higer level of eating disorders mental health literacy.
social distance scalepre-intervention, post-intervention, 4 weeks follow-up, 12 weeks follow-upThe social distance scale was used to assess the level of social rejection that participants were likely to impose on people with eating disorders. The lower the score, the greater the desire for social distancing and the more negative the attitude toward people with eating disorders.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Weight Concerns Scalepre-intervention, post-intervention, 4 weeks follow-up, 12 weeks follow-upThe Weight Concerns Scale was used to assess weight concern and shape concern, with a higher score indicating more concerns.
The SCOFFpre-intervention, post-intervention, 4 weeks follow-up, 12 weeks follow-upThe SCOFF (Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food) was used to detect the existence of eating disorder symptoms. Scores of 2 or greater were originally set a cut-off point for maximum sensitivity to detect anorexia and Bulimia nervosa (Morgan et al, 1999).
Actual help-seeking behaviorpre-intervention, post-intervention, 4 weeks follow-up, 12 weeks follow-upWe conducetd three items to assess the actual help-seeking behavior, including, In the last 6 months, have you come into contact with someone who you think may have the same problems as Lily?,Have you offered help to them?, How you helped him/her?.
Patient Health Questionnaire-4pre-intervention, post-intervention, 4 weeks follow-up, 12 weeks follow-upThe Patient Health Questionnaire-4 was used to assess any negative impact on participant's well-being. Scores are rated as normal (0-2), mild (3-5), moderate (6-8), and severe (9-12). Total score ≥3 for first 2 questions suggests anxiety. Total score ≥3 for last 2 questions suggests depression.

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026