A team of experts on eating disorders from the University of Bath will meet MPs in Parliament on October 28 to call for a national strategy to address preventable deaths from anorexia, bulimia and other severe disturbances in eating behaviour.

Their aim is to persuade the government to take decisive action to improve treatment and outcomes for people with these life-threatening conditions, and to implement measures that can help prevent eating disorders from developing in the first place.

The Bath experts are members of the newly established Disorders of Eating and Body Image (DEBI) Research Group at the University. These specialists in psychology and health study eating disorders, disordered eating and body image. Their focus is on prevention, early intervention and effective treatment.

Collaboration lies at the heart of DEBI’s mission. By fostering stronger connections between researchers, clinicians, health bodies (such as the NHS) and those with lived experience of eating disorders, DEBI aims to build a more unified and effective approach to tackling the issue. At present, connections between those working in the field are often patchy and ineffective.

For their parliamentary visit, the DEBI researchers will join a delegation led by Bristol-based Hope Virgo, secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eating Disorders. Ms Virgo will present a report to MPs highlighting significant failures in the UK’s eating disorder services and offering key recommendations so people with eating disorders can receive the help they need.

Postcode lottery

Eating disorders affect around 8% of the global population, including up to 2.4 million people in the UK – a figure that is rising rapidly. National surveys show that prevalence increased from 6.4% in 2007 to 16% in 2019. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, rates surged further, with eating disorders among adolescent girls reported to be 42% higher than expected.

Recent estimates place the total social cost of eating disorders at up to £11 billion annually, including £1.7 billion in direct costs to the NHS.

The APPG report is based on extensive interviews with individuals affected by eating disorders as well as clinicians, researchers and campaigners.

A key theme to emerge is the stark inequality in access to treatment – a ‘postcode lottery’ that leaves many patients without the care they urgently need. For instance, some are denied treatment because they are not deemed thin enough, while others are discharged without a follow-up plan or released prematurely, sometimes with devastating consequences including organ failure or death.

DEBI researcher Dr Melissa Atkinson said: “To improve treatment outcomes for people with eating disorders – and to prevent these conditions from developing in the first place – we need a unified, coordinated approach across all sectors working in this space, and this needs to be consistent throughout the UK. That means better alignment between research, healthcare, education and policy to ensure a support system that is reliably effective for everyone affected.”

DEBI researcher Dr Jasmin Langdon-Daly said: “Eating disorders affect people of all ages, genders and ethnicities, and are among the most severe and potentially fatal mental health conditions, yet they are badly neglected and under-resourced in terms of treatment services, public health and policy responses, and research funding. Full recovery is very possible, but requires effective treatments delivered well. Early intervention and coordinated prevention efforts would avoid huge suffering and reduce need for intensive services.”

DEBI researcher Dr Manuela Barona said: “Despite a growing understanding of the complex nature of eating disorders – which includes biological, psychological and social factors – and increasing efforts to raise awareness, there continue to be significant misconceptions about eating disorders and who they impact. This means that people with eating disorders continue to experience high levels of stigma, which can result in delayed interventions”.

The delegation to Parliament will be supported by Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath and chair of the APPG on Eating Disorders.

Ms Hobhouse said: “The devastating impact of eating disorders in the UK, on those who are suffering and their families, has flown under the political radar for far too long. It’s now imperative that as policymakers, researchers and campaigners, we come together to tackle this, which is why the launch of our new strategy is so timely and important.

“As chair of the APPG Eating Disorders and the MP for Bath, I’m particularly proud to see researchers from the University’s Disorders of Eating & Body Image Research Group come to Parliament and share their expertise and findings. Based on their research and clinical experience, I believe their insights can significantly shape how we best respond to this pressing issue.”

Prevention

Research into prevention will be a major focus of DEBI’s research. Effective preventative programmes might include:

• Teaching body image resilience, media literacy and functional nutrition in schools.
• Equipping educators with the skills to recognise early signs of disordered eating and refer students to appropriate support.
• Supporting parents and childcare providers to have helpful conversations and facilitate positive environments around eating and development of body image
• Implementing changes to social media and advertising policies to reduce exposure to harmful body ideals and diet culture – for example, by banning weight-loss ads aimed at young people.
• Introducing routine screening for disordered eating in GP practices, particularly among adolescents and young adults.
• Providing targeted interventions to address concerns before symptoms escalate.

This summer, DEBI researchers, led by Dr Jasmin Langdon-Daly, were awarded funding from the GW4 Alliance – a partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter – to lead a network of eating disorder researchers across the Southwest of England and South Wales. The network’s aim is to improve collaboration between eating-disorder experts in the region and boost relevant research.

DEBI’s founding members are Dr Melissa Atkinson, Dr Jasmin Langdon-Daly and Dr Manuela Martinez-Barona Soyer – all researchers from the Department of Psychology at Bath and trained clinical psychologists. They are being accompanied by Professor Tracey Wade, an internationally recognised eating disorder expert from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, and David Parkin Visiting Professor at Bath.