The Freiburg sport therapy program for eating disorders: a randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Sports Medicine
• Eating Disorder Treatment

Background:

• Problematic exercise and unhealthy sport attitudes are prevalent in eating disorders (ED), impacting treatment outcomes.
• Effective interventions are needed to complement standard ED treatments.
• The Freiburg sport therapy program for eating disorders (FSTP) was developed to address these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of the FSTP in reducing unhealthy exercise in individuals with ED.
• To evaluate the program's impact on eating pathology and exercise behavior dimensions.

Main Methods:

• Outpatients with ED were randomized into a 3-month sport therapy program (STG) or a control group (CG).
• Assessments included the Commitment to Exercise Scale (CES), Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), and accelerometry.
• The STG was followed up for 6 months post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Recruitment challenges resulted in small sample sizes (STG: 15, CG: 11).
• No significant difference was found between groups for the primary outcome (CES).
• The STG demonstrated a significant reduction in avoidance and rule-driven exercise (CET subscale) compared to CG, with sustained improvements at follow-up.

Conclusions:

• The FSTP did not show a statistically significant reduction in overall unhealthy exercise attitudes or behaviors based on the CES.
• Preliminary findings suggest potential effectiveness in reducing specific maladaptive exercise patterns, warranting cautious interpretation.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is required to validate these findings.