How to prevent eating disorders

What is it about?

This study is a summary of the evidence about how to prevent eating disorders. It includes the majority of prevention clinical trials ever done, takes the data from all of these trials and analyzes it together in a single large analysis, to give insight into the best strategies to prevent eating disorders. An innovative part of this study is that it aims to communicates strategies in a way that makes sense to those who makes decisions about which strategy to implement. It matches the population of interest - those at the whole population level, those at higher risk on the basis of biological or social risk factors, and those at the very highest risk who are already displaying eating disorders symptoms but have not yet developed a threshold eating disorders - to a strategy that is supported in that population.

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Why is it important?

Getting in early and preventing eating disorders before they have a chance to onset is an essential means for reducing the personal and societal toll. Eating disorders may be chronic, relapsing illnesses and treatments are not guaranteed to cure these illnesses. Types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Eating disorders increase the risk for depression and anxiety, medical problems, and carry a societal economic burden.