Expanding the reach and delivery of Media Smart: An online intervention found to both reduce eating disorder onset and increase eating disorder remission

This research builds on the promising findings from our first Australia and NZ-wide RCT, where MS: reduced eating disorder (ED) onset by 66% (in those asymptomatic at baseline) and increased remission rates by 75% (in those symptomatic at baseline) relative to controls at 12-month follow-up; significantly lowered six ED risk factors and impairment variables relative to controls and another active program; reduced the onset of clinical depressive symptoms by 10-fold relative to controls at 6- and 12-month follow-up; prevented any MS participants from experimenting with recreational drugs (compared to 18.2% of controls); and, reduced the likelihood of developing high-suicidality by 54%. For those interested, please see papers attached.

Thus while MS online is intended to be a prevention program for those at-risk of an ED or who simply want to improve their body image, it was also found to be helpful as an early intervention program for those already meeting diagnosis (and in some cases as an adjunct to those receiving treatment).

There are two aims of this new study:

1) to see if the program is beneficial for a wider audience (13-25 year-olds of any gender) than our first RCT (18-25 year-old women)

2) to compare efficacy and retention rates for a weekly release of the modules vs a flexible rate of program completion (user chooses own rate).

The study is open to 13-25 year-olds of any gender and from all around Australia. People can register their interest by emailing mediasmart@flinders.edu.au