Telehealth pilot improved some diet measures, with incomplete program participation
Young Australian adults with addictive eating behaviors showed greater improvements in some diet measures with dietitian-led telehealth versus control. Several other outcomes showed no between-group difference, and some participants did not finish.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pilot found favorable between-group changes in dietary measures involving fat, saturated fat and non-core foods. Other outcomes, including addictive eating symptoms, sleep, mental health and triglycerides, showed no between-group differences despite improving over time. Positive feedback came from interview respondents, while incomplete session participation qualifies the authors' conclusion that the program was feasible.
This was a feasibility pilot, and the abstract does not report cardiovascular events. Satisfaction findings apply to participants who completed interviews; they cannot establish that everyone who enrolled found the program acceptable.
What researchers found
Program adherence
9 of 27 intervention participants did not complete all 5 telehealth sessions over 8 weeks. This completion measure was assessed within the intervention group.
What feasibility meant
Researchers evaluated session completion, interview feedback and website use, alongside health-related measurements. These answer different questions: a program can attract participants and receive favorable feedback without showing an advantage on every outcome it measures.
Changes over time versus group differences
Several outcomes improved over time without a difference between intervention and control participants. Those changes cannot be credited specifically to the telehealth program from this comparison, and the dietary results do not demonstrate fewer cardiovascular events.
The original publication
Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of an Online Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Randomised Controlled Trial Targeting Addictive and Compulsive Overeating Among Australian Young Adults.
Leary MA, Skinner JA, Hutchesson MJ et al.
J Hum Nutr Diet · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40726053
- Record checked
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