MotivATE intervention to increase eating disorders engagement
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of a novel pre-treatment web-based intervention to increase attendance at adult eating disorder services: a pilot study.
IRAS ID
194606
Contact name
James Day
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bournemouth University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Eating disorders (EDs) affect 1.6 million people in the UK (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2004) and have the highest mortality rate of all mental health conditions (Arcelus, Mitchell, Wales & Nielsen, 2011), with devastating consequences for the affected individual and their family members (Nielsen & Bará-Carril, 2003). When treating EDs early intervention can be vital, as this reduces the risks of chronicity, which in turn lowers the risks to the individual, the burden of care for families and the costs to the healthcare system (Vaz, Conceição & Machado, 2014). However up to 26% of patients referred to an outpatient ED service do not attend (Leavey, Vallianatou, Johnson-Sabine, Rae & Gunputh, 2011).
MotivATE is a web-based intervention intended to be delivered at the point of referral to an ED service. The intervention focuses on managing expectations of assessment, addressing ambivalence and increasing users’ motivation and confidence to attend their initial appointment. This is achieved through the use of information, motivational tools, interactive activities and stories from other individuals with EDs across four 15-20 minute modules which have been evaluated by service-users who have an ED.
The aim of this study is to test whether MotivATE can increase attendance at assessment. This will be done using a single-consent Zelen randomised control trial, with all non-emergency adult clients referred to the Kimmeridge Court Eating Disorder Service over one year being randomised to either treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU plus access to the MotivATE intervention prior to their assessment appointment.
Routine audit data will be collected to compare the number of people who attend their assessment appointment in the MotivATE group verses the control group. Usage data generated by the intervention will also be assessed. 20 participants from the MotivATE group will be invited to give qualitative feedback about their experience of the intervention.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0258
Date of REC Opinion
18 May 2016
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion