JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Up to 92% of individuals with eating disorders (EDs) report engaging in body checking behaviors (e.g., repeated self-weighing and pinching of various body parts) to assess their weight and shape. These behaviors contribute to increased body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and dietary restriction, thereby maintaining ED symptomology.

Objective:

The present study aims to first characterize the types and frequency of body checking behaviors (e.g., self-weighing, pinching) reported among adolescent girls with binge-spectrum EDs during a 21-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol. The second aim is to explore the prospective associations between body checking and cognitive and behavioral ED symptoms, namely body dissatisfaction, fear of weight gain, dietary restraint, dietary restriction, compensatory behaviors, and binge eating. The third aim is to assess whether body checking behaviors show reactive effects (i.e., produces change in the behavior subject to monitoring) to EMA, such that they decrease over time.

Methods:

The study will recruit 70 adolescent girls aged 14-19 years with clinically significant binge eating. Participants will complete a semi-structured interview and a series of self-report measures at baseline to assess ED pathology. Then, participants will complete five daily EMA surveys to track body checking behaviors and related ED symptoms over 21 days.

Results:

Recruitment is set to begin in January 2025, with data collection expected to conclude in March 2026.

Conclusions:

This study will provide insights into the patterns and impacts of body checking behaviors among adolescent girls with binge-spectrum EDs. If body checking behaviors reduce in response to EMA, digital self-monitoring could be a scalable and cost-effective strategy for ED treatment and prevention. The findings may also inform the development of momentary interventions targeting body checking behaviors to mitigate ED symptoms. Future research should extend these observations over longer periods and include male participants to generalize findings across genders. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.