Patients’ views on a new treatment for Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder combining physical exercise and dietary therapy (the PED-t). A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

A new group based treatment for patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED), combining guided Physical Exercise and Dietary therapy (PED-t), has shown the capacity to alleviate BN and BED symptoms. The PED-t is run by therapists with a professional background in sport sciences and nutrition, which in many clinical settings is an uncommon group of professionals. The symptom reduction effects using the PED-t need validation from patients who have been given this kind of treatment, as negative experiences may impinge further clinical implementation. To explore such experiences, semistructural interviews were conducted with 15 participants. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a systematic text condensation approach. Overall, patients experienced the format and content of the PED-t as beneficial and as providing tools to manage BN- and BED symptoms. The patients’ experiences of therapist credibility was enhanced by their appreciation of the therapists’ professional background. Finally, some treatment modifications were suggested. Overall, the PED-t may thus be offered to patients with BN and BED, by a new set of professionals, and in uncommon settings. This possibility calls for future effectiveness studies integrating both parametric and experiential data.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the participating women for their willingness to share their experiences, and the members Kjersti Innjord, Franziska Jensen and Dina Hanssen in the advisory group from a national ED patient organization (SPISFO). Finally, the authors would like to thank the Norwegian Women Health organization who founded the RCT.