Eating disorders in under-represented groups: Patient and public involvement insights

Bridge, Gemma; Ramsey-Wade, Christine

Abstract

Eating disorders (ED) and disordered eating do not discriminate by gender, age or ethnicity. Despite this, in the UK, compared to those from White British backgrounds, people from minoritised ethnic communities are less likely to present to ED support services, receive an ED diagnosis or receive specialist ED support. People from a range of minoritised ethnic backgrounds living in Bristol, with lived experience of EDs or disordered eating, were invited to take part in focus groups as part of PPI work to explore barriers to seeking ED support and methods of improving service uptake. Focus group discussions were conducted online via MS Teams. The questions were codeveloped with people from minoritised ethnic communities. Discussions were analysed thematically. Key themes included perceptions of thinness, a lack of awareness of ED’s, stigma, taboo and shame, and a lack of trust in clinicians. Ideas for improving awareness, help seeking, and treatment uptake were considered. Community led, informational and/ or educational support and signposting was highlighted as a good potential approach to improving ED support services for minoritised ethnic communities in Bristol, UK. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility of developing and delivering community led approaches to improve ED awareness

• Report Type: Project Report
• Online Publication Date: Jun 21, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 21, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 8, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 9, 2024
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13274549