Building an Equitable and Accessible System of Eating Disorder Care for VA, DoD, and Underrepresented Americans With Eating Disorders (EASED Study)
VA Connecticut Healthcare System
Summary
When untreated, eating disorders present with tremendous burdens to affected active duty Service members and Veterans and their families, and are very costly to the DoD and VA healthcare system. A comparative effectiveness study with state-of-the-art virtual treatment for BN and BED specifically adapted for testing with the Veteran population and other underrepresented eating disorder populations will lead to major improvements in clinical outcomes. The treatment will be integrated with VA's newest telehealth technology to profoundly enhance access to care anywhere, at any time. This trial of therapist-led and self-help CBT treatments, combined with our expert panel methods to inform VA Clinical Practice Guidelines for Eating Disorders and plans for dissemination, will accelerate the pace for the transition of results both for large-scale deployment in the VA system and for real-world impact among diverse and underrepresented eating disorder populations.
Description
The overall objective is to test and improve access to evidence-based eating disorder treatment for active duty Service members and Veterans. The two-part project will include a comparative effectiveness trial of virtual treatments followed by qualitative methods for implementation. The randomized controlled trial will specifically test the effectiveness of Telehealth Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TeleCBT) compared to Self-Help Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (shCBT) for binge eating disorders. * Aim 1 (Superiority): To assess the effectiveness of TeleMental Health CBT (TeleCBT) compared to Self…