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@edifyresearch

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Join us in transforming perceptions, policy and practice surrounding #eatingdisorders through innovative research.
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Our latest qualitative paper, led by Carina Kuehne, explored how remote monitoring through smartphones and wearable devices can influence eating-, exercise- and weight-related experiences among people with lived experience of, or at risk of, an eating disorder (ED). 📱⌚️

The study involved 14 semi-structured interviews with former participants of RADAR-MDD, a two-year digital health study that used smartphone apps and wearable devices, including Fitbits, to monitor depression-related outcomes.

✨ Key findings:

Participants often valued the convenience of remote monitoring and its potential to support reflection. However, some described emotional strain associated with constant self-tracking.

Participants described how viewing their health data could increase awareness and influence their thoughts and behaviours. For some, this supported healthier routines, while for others it reinforced obsessive patterns around eating and exercise. These experiences varied depending on factors including emotional state, ED presentation and stage of recovery.

Participants with greater insight into their own symptoms and triggers described using self-tracking more intentionally, either to support recovery or by avoiding data they knew could be harmful.

Overall, the findings suggest that remote monitoring technologies are not inherently helpful or harmful. Their impact may depend on the individual, their circumstances and their distance from active illness. The study highlights the importance of balancing participant autonomy with appropriate safeguards, including careful device selection, restricted access to potentially triggering data and transparent communication. taken in Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London by @edifyresearch

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Our latest mixed methods paper, led by Callum Bryson, investigated the relationship between food insecurity and eating disorder symptoms, as well as participant perspectives on how food insecurity impacts their eating disorder recovery and how clinical guidance can be improved.

The study collated the experiences of over 300 individuals aged between 16-67 with lived/ living experience of an eating disorder in the UK via an online survey.

✨ Key findings:
Recent experiences of food insecurity were quantitatively associated with more frequent food restriction and excessive exercise. Participants also reported that food insecurity exacerbated other symptoms too, such as binge eating and a preoccupation with food.
Rates of help-seeking were low in the sample, with shame being a key reason why participants did not seek help.
Participants wanted food insecurity to be considered routinely during assessments, and for adaptations to be provided to their treatment to accommodate their experiences. They also wanted clinicians to provide practical solutions to help alleviate their food insecurity, such as details on local resources. by @edifyresearch

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7 months ago

Eating disorders can affect anybody, from any age, sex, gender, and background. Yet limiting stereotypes still exist about who can be affected by eating disorders. Our film highlights the experiences of young people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, who share their perspectives on how their ethnicity and culture impacted their experience of developing, living with and seeking help for an eating disorder. Their words remind us that we need different perspectives and new voices to broaden our understanding of eating disorders.

#eatingdisordersawarenessweek #EDAW by @edifyresearch

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7 months ago

Eating disorders occur across the weight spectrum, yet people in larger bodies often face extra barriers when trying to get their eating disorder recognised and treated. Many say that health professionals focus only on their weight and miss the signs of an eating disorder. This can make it harder to get help and may even make disordered eating worse. Binge eating disorder is common among people in larger bodies, and they may feel just as distressed, or more distressed, than people in smaller bodies. Even so, they are less likely to be referred to specialist treatment.

Research shows that people who are underweight are more likely to be referred for eating disorder care, even though eating disorders can be serious at any body size. Overall, people in larger bodies may be less likely to have their eating disorder recognised and treated.

Informed by lived experience, and created by researchers from the EDIFY programme and the animation company Woven Ink, this short animated film aims to raise awareness of these challenges and emphasise that everyone deserves understanding, support, and access to care.
#eatingdisordersawarenessweek #EDAW by @edifyresearch

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8 months ago

Big moment for the EDIFY team 🎤⭐

We had the chance to showcase the impact of our work at UKRI's Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind Conference – condensing 4 years of research into 30 minutes!

Professor Ulrike Schmidt, EDIFY's Principal Investigator, shared the breadth of the programme – spanning arts, humanities, psychiatry, and neuroscience – highlighting how multidisciplinary collaboration is driving forward our understanding of eating disorders in young people.

She presented alongside Rosie Tatham, former EDIFY Youth Advisor and now Research Worker, who spoke emphatically about why young people's voices must remain at the centre of our research.

We were also delighted to be joined by Sophie Lambert, who shared her experience of working closely within various research studies as an EDIFY Youth Advisor.

Finally, we were proud to display a textile artwork by Maeve Magnolia Gillespie representing EDIFY's Artists in Residence, a powerful reminder of how art can communicate lived experience and complexity in ways research alone can't.

#AMHDMshowcase #MentalHealthResearch #EatingDisorders by @edifyresearch

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8 months ago

by @edifyresearch

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8 months ago

EVENT: Communicating Eating Disorders Experiences and Research through Art - Materials, Shapes, Sounds and Stories of EDIFY Artists in Residence

Join us to find out more about the @edifyresearch Artists in Residence through this film screening on Thursday 26 February.

🔗 Click the link in our bio to find out more and book tickets.

#ArtAndHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #ResearchThroughArt by @edifyresearch

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8 months ago

🎨 Art Is Evidence!
Resilience woven from broken materials – a collaborative tapestry from the Edify project.
Created by artist Maeve Gillespie with young people and carers, exploring strength in eating disorder recovery.
Watch with our roving elf reporter Douglas Badenoch from #AMHDMshowcase
#MentalHealthResearch #EatingDisorders by @edifyresearch

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8 months ago

Our latest qualitative paper, led by @tamsinparnell , explored how young people with current or past experience of an eating disorder (ED) describe viewing ED-related content on TikTok and how this relates to their ED and recovery.

The study involved 17 semi-structured interviews with UK-based young people aged 18–25 with lived experience of disordered eating or an ED.

✨ Key findings:
Three themes captured how participants described interacting with ED content on TikTok:
1️⃣ View One, See More: participants described watching a single video and then being repeatedly shown similar content, which could be difficult to move away from.
2️⃣ Morbid Curiosity: participants described an awareness of how the algorithm works, alongside a strong pull to view ED content that they recognised could be unhelpful.
3️⃣ From Helpful to Unhelpful: participants described trajectories from more neutral or recovery-oriented content towards content they experienced as unhelpful.

Overall, participants’ accounts suggest that TikTok’s personalised algorithm may interact with, and in some cases intensify, ED-related thoughts and behaviours, contributing to what some described as harmful echo chambers of ED content. The findings highlight the need for greater platform responsibility and improved tools that allow users to manage the content they encounter online. by @edifyresearch

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8 months ago

Our latest study, led by Dr Nora Trompeter examined links between childhood food insecurity and eating disorder symptoms in adolescence.

This study used data from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
Food insecurity was reported by mothers from pregnancy to age 7, and eating disorder symptoms were reported by adolescents at ages 14, 16 and 18.

Findings showed that childhood food insecurity was linked with higher odds of disordered eating in adolescence, specifically at ages 14 and 18, but not at age 16. by @edifyresearch

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9 months ago

STORY in 2025: Thanks to every young person taking part, we're building the evidence for more personalised and effective interventions for young people with eating disorders in the future! by @edifyresearch

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10 months ago

Meet Dr. Helen Sharpe (she/her), a Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology at @edinburghuniversity.

Helen’s research focuses on why eating disorders develop and how early intervention and prevention can help people recover sooner and stay well. She’s particularly interested in understanding the different pathways into eating disorders and ensuring services reach those in need, especially people experiencing binge eating, which remains under-researched and under-supported.

Among many things, Helen is currently part of the STORY study within the @edifyresearch consortium, a large-scale project following over 800 young people using smart technology to explore everyday experiences, risk, and resilience in eating disorders.

Outside of research, you’ll find her wild swimming or camping, and often at Edinburgh Central Library with a good book. 📚💚 taken in The University of Edinburgh by @edifyresearch

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