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Thank you for your interest in the Binge Eating Genetics INitiative (BEGIN) research study!

The goal of the BEGIN study is to better understand the genetic factors that may be associated with binge-eating disorder and bulimia nervosa in order to develop better treatments for the millions of people who suffer from these illnesses.

You may be eligible to participate in the BEGIN study if you:

  • Have a current or lifetime experience with binge eating disorder (BED) or bulimia nervosa (BN)
  • Are over 18 years old and living in the United States
  • Have an iPhone (model 5 or newer)

To determine if you may be eligible and to join the study, please click on the link below and answer a few short questions:

BEGIN Preliminary Screen

Here’s what participation in the BEGIN study entails:

  1. Use the Recovery Record app on your iPhone to record your mood, food, and goals for 30 days.
  2. Complete a few questionnaires about your mental health and health history
  3. Provide a fast, painless sample of your saliva. To do this, we will mail you a free saliva collection kit that includes a postage prepaid return envelope so that sending your saliva sample to us is completely free for you. (This comes in a box sent to your house via FedEx).

Once you enroll in the BEGIN study using your iPhone, we will send you a “BEGIN box” via FedEx that will include everything that you need to participate in the BEGIN study.

Do you have any questions, concerns, or feedback? We’d love to hear them! Email us at beginstudy@unc.edu or give us a call at 919-445-0319.

This study is overseen by the Institutional Review Board at the University of North Carolina (IRB study number 17-0242)

Additional Information:

NIMH 193 BEGIN (saliva).jpg

uBiomeSamplingInstructions.docx

BEGIN Flyer_Own Watch.pdf

BEGIN Flyer_Given Watch.pdf

https://vimeo.com/226332478

https://vimeo.com/226998021