Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft1, Katherine N Balantekin2, Andrea K Graham3, Lauren Smolar4, Dan Park4, Claire Mysko4, Burkhardt Funk5, C Barr Taylor6,7, Denise E Wilfley1. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. 2. Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. 3. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. 4. National Eating Disorders Association, New York, New York. 5. Institute of Information Systems, Leuphana University, Lüneburg, Germany. 6. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. 7. Center for m2Health, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, California.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The treatment gap between those who need and those who receive care for eating disorders is wide. Scaling a validated, online screener that makes individuals aware of the significance of their symptoms/behaviors is a crucial first step for increasing access to care. The objective of the current study was to determine the reach of disseminating an online eating disorder screener in partnership with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), as well to examine the probable eating disorder diagnostic and risk breakdown of adult respondents. We also assessed receipt of any treatment. METHOD: Participants completed a validated eating disorder screen on the NEDA website over 6 months in 2017. RESULTS: Of 71,362 respondents, 91.0% were female, 57.7% 18-24 years, 89.6% non-Hispanic, and 84.7% White. Most (86.3%) screened positive for an eating disorder. In addition, 10.2% screened as high risk for the development of an eating disorder, and only 3.4% as not at risk. Of those screening positive for an eating disorder, 85.9% had never received treatment and only 3.0% were currently in treatment. DISCUSSION: The NEDA online screen may represent an important eating disorder detection tool, as it was completed by >71,000 adult respondents over just 6 months, the majority of whom screened positive for a clinical/subclinical eating disorder. The extremely high percentage of individuals screening positive for an eating disorder who reported not being in treatment suggests a wide treatment gap and the need to offer accessible, affordable, evidence-based intervention options, directly linked with screening.
OBJECTIVE: The treatment gap between those who need and those who receive care for eating disorders is wide. Scaling a validated, online screener that makes individuals aware of the significance of their symptoms/behaviors is a crucial first step for increasing access to care. The objective of the current study was to determine the reach of disseminating an online eating disorder screener in partnership with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), as well to examine the probable eating disorder diagnostic and risk breakdown of adult respondents. We also assessed receipt of any treatment. METHOD:Participants completed a validated eating disorder screen on the NEDA website over 6 months in 2017. RESULTS: Of 71,362 respondents, 91.0% were female, 57.7% 18-24 years, 89.6% non-Hispanic, and 84.7% White. Most (86.3%) screened positive for an eating disorder. In addition, 10.2% screened as high risk for the development of an eating disorder, and only 3.4% as not at risk. Of those screening positive for an eating disorder, 85.9% had never received treatment and only 3.0% were currently in treatment. DISCUSSION: The NEDA online screen may represent an important eating disorder detection tool, as it was completed by >71,000 adult respondents over just 6 months, the majority of whom screened positive for a clinical/subclinical eating disorder. The extremely high percentage of individuals screening positive for an eating disorder who reported not being in treatment suggests a wide treatment gap and the need to offer accessible, affordable, evidence-based intervention options, directly linked with screening.
Authors: Andrea E Kass; Katherine N Balantekin; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Corinna Jacobi; Denise E Wilfley; C Barr Taylor Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2017-02-02 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: John W Ayers; Benjamin M Althouse; Eric C Leas; Mark Dredze; Jon-Patrick Allem Journal: JAMA Intern Med Date: 2017-10-01 Impact factor: 21.873
Authors: Andrea K Graham; Mickey Trockel; Hannah Weisman; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Katherine N Balantekin; Denise E Wilfley; C Barr Taylor Journal: J Am Coll Health Date: 2018-10-09
Authors: J D Killen; C B Taylor; C Hayward; D M Wilson; K F Haydel; L D Hammer; B Simmonds; T N Robinson; I Litt; A Varady Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 1994-11 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Katherine N Balantekin; Dawn M Eichen; Andrea K Graham; Grace E Monterubio; Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit; Neha J Goel; Rachael E Flatt; Kristina Saffran; Anna M Karam; Marie-Laure Firebaugh; Mickey Trockel; C Barr Taylor; Denise E Wilfley Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2019-07-03 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: Rachael E Flatt; Elliott Norman; Laura M Thornton; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Katherine N Balantekin; Lauren Smolar; Claire Mysko; Denise E Wilfley; C Barr Taylor; Cynthia M Bulik Journal: Eat Behav Date: 2021-09-07
Authors: Craig Barr Taylor; Andrea K Graham; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit; Katherine N Balantekin; Rachael E Flatt; Neha J Goel; Grace E Monterubio; Naira Topooco; Anna M Karam; Marie-Laure Firebaugh; Josef I Ruzek; Burkhardt Funk; Brian Oldenburg; Denise E Wilfley; Corinna Jacobi Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2019-09-10 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Anna M Karam; Grace E Monterubio; C Barr Taylor; Denise E Wilfley Journal: Curr Psychiatry Rep Date: 2019-09-14 Impact factor: 5.285
Authors: Katherine N Balantekin; Anne Claire Grammer; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Dawn E Eichen; Andrea K Graham; Grace E Monterubio; Marie-Laure Firebaugh; Anna M Karam; Shiri Sadeh-Sharvit; Neha J Goel; Rachael E Flatt; Mickey T Trockel; C Barr Taylor; Denise E Wilfley Journal: Eat Behav Date: 2021-02-13
Authors: Sook Ning Chua; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; S Bryn Austin; Denise E Wilfley; C Barr Taylor Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2020-12-13 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: Rachael E Flatt; Laura M Thornton; Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Katherine N Balantekin; Lauren Smolar; Claire Mysko; Denise E Wilfley; C Barr Taylor; J D DeFreese; Anna M Bardone-Cone; Cynthia M Bulik Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2020-11-30 Impact factor: 4.861
Authors: Ellen E Fitzsimmons-Craft; Katherine N Balantekin; Andrea K Graham; Bianca DePietro; Olivia Laing; Marie-Laure Firebaugh; Lauren Smolar; Dan Park; Claire Mysko; Burkhardt Funk; C Barr Taylor; Denise E Wilfley Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2020-06-16 Impact factor: 4.861