Videoconferencing Adapted Physical Activity in Anorexia Nervosa: a Pilot Study

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder (ED), mainly in women, characterized by strict and voluntary food deprivation over a long period of time, which can last from several months to several years, leading to significant weight loss. This disease affects 2.2 to 4% of the general population in Europe and is one of the most fatal psychiatric diseases in people under 25 years old. Physiological and psychological disorders are very often associated with AN, as well as an alteration of the sleep-wake cycle. In order to reduce the risk of chronicity of the disease and to prevent its various complications in young women, early and multidisciplinary therapeutic management is recommended by public health authorities. However, this management remains long and complex due to the diversity and severity of the symptoms, a lack of adherence of patients to treatment protocols, but also a lack of therapeutic continuity after hospitalization. Recently, new non-medicinal therapies based on Adapted Physical Activity (APA) have been developed to prevent and reduce the main symptoms of AN and associated disorders in an effective and lasting way. However, to our knowledge, interventional research in this field remains scarce and presents limited results. Furthermore, the scientific literature does not report any evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a home video-conference-supervised APA intervention with AN patients.

Objectives: The primary objectives of the APAREXIM'Pilot study are to evaluate the short- and medium-term effects of a live supervised APA program via videoconferencing on feasibility and acceptability of APA via videoconferencing by the patients and the primary symptoms of AN. The secondary objectives are to evaluate the impact of this program on mental health, physical condition and the sleep-wake cycle (sleep disturbance and physical hyperactivity), as well as its.

Method: This randomized controlled intervention study will be conducted with 30 adolescent and young adult girls with AN. The patients will first undergo an inclusion visit (T0) at the University Hospital of Caen, then a first evaluation session (T1) at the COMETE laboratory in Caen (physical tests, questionnaires, sleep diary, actimetry). They will then be randomly divided into 2 groups: 15 patients who will follow an APA program supervised by videoconference for 8 weeks (AM-APA) at their home, in addition to the usual outpatient treatment, and 15 patients who will benefit only from the classic outpatient treatment (AM-T). All patients will undergo two additional evaluation sessions at one week post-program (T2) and at 3 months post-program (T3).

Perspectives: The results obtained will allow to evaluate the acceptability and the feasibility of a distance APA program, and to bring additional evidence of the effectiveness of an APA intervention in patients with AM, as well as elements of understanding of the regulation of this pathology by APA. In addition, the APAREXIM'Pilot study will allow to test and validate an APA program for patients with AM, which could eventually be integrated in the management of patients on the national territory.