ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT06683456Updated Nov 12, 2024

EMOTE: a Smartphone Application for Binge Eating Based on DBT Skills

An interventional study of eMOTE in Binge Eating, sponsored by Universidade do Porto. Recruiting at 1 site in Portugal. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-11-12.

Sponsored by Universidade do Porto · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Mar 2025, 1 year 7 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Registered 3 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Apr 2024, registered Jul 2024).
  • Started Apr 2024; still recruiting 2 years 7 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
68
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 60 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

Binge eating, whether formally diagnosed or occurring at subthreshold levels, is associated with adverse health consequences and decreased quality of life.

Access to accessible, cost-effective interventions that effectively address binge eating episodes is critical for individuals with this condition, and smartphone applications have demonstrated promise in treating binge eating and related disorders.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of eMOTE, a novel smartphone application for binge eating based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills. For this purpose, a randomized controlled trial will be conducted in which women who self-report binge eating episodes will be randomly assigned to the app intervention group or a waiting list group.

Read the detailed description

eMOTE is a self-help application for women struggling with binge eating episodes. The application was developed based on DBT skills and has four modules: psychoeducation, mindfulness skills, emotion regulation skills, and distress tolerance skills. Additionally, it includes two self-monitoring diaries that allow the input of data related to food, behaviors, feelings, and exercises. The application content will be delivered through text, audios, and videos.

For this study, adult individuals with binge eating episodes who are fluent in Portuguese and own a smartphone will be recruited. The recruitment will be conducted through social media, the University of Porto, and other relevant institutions.

Participants who enrol in eMOTE will be required to fill out online self-report instruments and provide their body mass index (BMI) at baseline (T0), two months (T1), and four months after randomization (T2). A researcher not involved in the study will conduct the randomization process.

Participants will be randomly allocated to two groups: the experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, the participants will have access to eMOTE for eight weeks, while in the control group, the participants will be on a waiting list for eight weeks, and after this period, the participants will have access to eMOTE. The investigators will analyze the changes in the frequency of objective and subjective binge eating episodes, eating disorder psychopathology, BMI, intuitive eating, depression, anxiety, stress, compensatory behaviors, mindfulness, and difficulties in emotion regulation.

02

Conditions studied

  • Binge Eating

Keywords

  • DBT
  • Binge Eating
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders
  • Application
03

In context

Bulimia

173 studies on the registry are indexed under Bulimia; 33 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 68 is above the median of 60 across 143 interventional studies indexed under Bulimia.

Browse Bulimia studies →

Lead sponsor

Universidade do Porto is the lead sponsor of 174 studies on the registry; 53 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • female;
  • aged 18 years or older;
  • self-report at least one binge eating episode over the past four weeks;
  • owned a smartphone;
  • fluent in Portuguese.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • attending psychotherapy (face-to-face or digital) or another clinical trial;
  • below 18.5;
  • self-report an average of eight or more episodes of binge eating or inappropriate compensatory behaviours per week;
  • being pregnant;
  • self-report bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, substance abuse, suicidal ideation or borderline personality disorder.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
68 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    eMOTE

    Participants will have access to eMOTE for eight weeks.

    Behavioral: eMOTE

  • No intervention
    Waiting List

    Participants will be on a waiting list group for eight weeks. After that period, the participants will have access to eMOTE.

Interventions

  • BehavioraleMOTE

    The intervention combines psychoeducation, mindfulness skills, emotion regulation skills, and distress tolerance skills, along with self-monitoring of meals, behaviours and feelings.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in binge eating symptoms

    Assessed by Binge Eating Scale - BES. The Binge Eating Scale (BES) is a 16-item self-report questionnaire used to assess the presence and severity of binge eating behaviors. The scale's total score can range from 0 to 46, with higher scores indicating more severe levels of binge eating.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  2. Changes in objective binge eating episodes

    Assessed by Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire - EDE-Q. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a 36-item self-report tool designed to assess the range, frequency, and severity of behaviors associated with eating disorder diagnoses. The total score on the EDE-Q can range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating more severe eating difficulties.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

Secondary outcomes

  1. Changes in BMI

    Assessed by a Body Composition Analyzer

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  2. Changes in intuitive eating

    Assessed by Intuitive Eating Scale-2 - IES-2. The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) includes 23 items assessing various dimensions of intuitive eating. The total score on the IES-2 can range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicate a greater tendency toward intuitive eating behaviors.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  3. Changes in depression, anxiety and stress

    Assessed by Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 - DASS-21. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The scale provides three scores, one for each subscale, where the minimum is 0 and the maximum is 21, with higher scores indicate greater severity of emotional distress in each of these areas.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  4. Changes in eating disorder psychopathology

    Assessed by Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire - EDE-Q. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a 36-item self-report tool designed to assess the range, frequency, and severity of behaviors associated with eating disorder diagnoses. The total score on the EDE-Q can range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating more severe eating difficulties.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  5. Changes in subjective binge eating episodes

    Assessed by Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire - EDE-Q. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a 36-item self-report tool designed to assess the range, frequency, and severity of behaviors associated with eating disorder diagnoses. The total score on the EDE-Q can range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating more severe eating difficulties.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  6. Changes in compensatory behaviors

    Assessed by Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire - EDE-Q. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a 36-item self-report tool designed to assess the range, frequency, and severity of behaviors associated with eating disorder diagnoses. The total score on the EDE-Q can range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating more severe eating difficulties.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  7. Acceptability

    Assessed by utility and satisfaction with the digital intervention. Participants will rate the usefulness of each module and their satisfaction with it, using a scale from 1 to 5, ranging from "not at all" to "extremely".

    Time frame: T1 - immediately after intervention

Other outcomes

  1. Changes in emotion regulation

    Assessed by Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - DERS. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is a 36-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess difficulties in emotional regulation. The total score on DERS can range from 36 to 180, with higher scores indicating greater difficulties in regulating emotions.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

  2. Changes in mindfulness

    Assessed by Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale - MAAS. The Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS) is a 15-item self-report instrument that measures the extent to which individuals act with awareness in daily life. The total score can range from 1 to 6, and higher scores indicate more mindfulness.

    Time frame: From Baseline to 2-months follow-up

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Faculty of Psychology and Educational and Education Sciences
    Porto, 4200-135, Portugal
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Apr 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Mar 2025, 11 months after the start.

Of 68 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Bulimia, half reached primary completion within 26 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 52. This study's planned 11 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 70 studies reached it within 26 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 52.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jul 29, 2024
First posted
Nov 12, 2024
StartActual
Apr 1, 2024
Primary completionEst.
Mar 15, 2025
CompletionEst.
Mar 15, 2025
Last update
Nov 12, 2024
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 12, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06683456
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 12, 2024
Start date
Apr 1, 2024
Primary completion
Mar 15, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 15, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 12, 2024

Study contacts

Telma Cruz, MSc
Contact
telmandreiacruz@gmail.com
220400667 ext. 393
Mariana Martins, PhD
Contact
mmartins@fpce.up.pt
220400667 ext. 393
Telma Cruz, MSc
principal investigator · Universidade do Porto

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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