Preliminary Investigation of a Focused Regular Eating Intervention to Address Problematic Restriction in the Context...

Regular eating has never been rigorously evaluated as a standalone intervention for restriction. In this preliminary investigation, we evaluate changes in restriction observed during a focused regular eating module (NOURISH: Nutrition, Organization, and Understanding Restriction: Intervention for Sustainable Habits) in the context of evidence-based, personalized, modular eating disorder treatment.

We analyzed pooled data from two eating disorder treatment trials ranging from 13 to 20 weeks in duration. Using ecological momentary assessment data collected throughout the entire modular treatment, we evaluated within-group changes in restriction and restraint from the beginning to the end of the 3-4 session regular eating (i.e., NOURISH) module. Point estimates and 95% confidence intervals, as well as Cohen's d, were calculated for paired-sample t-tests.

Our complete sample included seven participants. Because our sample size was small, our interpretation focuses on effect sizes rather than statistical significance. Results suggested non-significant, yet moderate-sized reductions in both restriction (d = 0.72) and restraint (d = 0.76) during the NOURISH module, with the 95% confidence intervals for these effects including zero.

Although continued research in larger samples is warranted, our preliminary findings indicate that NOURISH holds promise as an evidence-based module to address restriction and restraint in the context of personalized eating disorder treatment.