Take part in eating disorders research
Take part in eating disorders research
On this page your will find requests from people engaged in research about eating disorders, who are looking for individuals to take part in their projects.
Please be aware that these research projects are independent and not connected to SWEDA. The inclusion of a research project on these pages does not represent an endorsement of the project by SWEDA and SWEDA in no way accepts responsibility for any aspect of the project or the data collected.
Be aware that in participating in a project you do so at your own risk and that it would be advisable to be familiar with the guidelines and policies under which a particular research project runs.
If you have any research that you would like us to link to, and are based in a UK college or university, please do get in touch.
Open Research Projects
Researchers at the University of Oxford are looking for participants to help us understand the relationship between self-compassion (how kind we are to ourselves) and compulsive exercise in young people with eating disorders.
They are looking for people of any gender aged 16-25 with an eating disorder (Anorexia or Bulimia), living in the community (not currently receiving inpatient treatment).
You are invited to take part in an anonymous survey, completing some questions about self-compassion, exercise, eating and mood. These should take around 20-30 minutes to complete.
If your responses show that compulsive exercise is something you experience, you can decide if you would like to take part in some further free text questions about your experience of self-compassion and exercise.
To read more information about the study and to take part, visit: https://psychiatryoxford.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bf5OO3YO7dFAIp8
For more information contact:
Natasha Cogings, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of Oxford
natasha.cogings@gtc.ox.ac.uk
Eating Disorders in Schools is a research project run by Anna Freud and UCL. We are developing a survey about the drivers of eating disorders in the school environment to help us better understand how to support pupils experience, or at risk of experiencing, eating disorders.
To achieve this, we are hosting discussion groups with secondary school pupils (or equivalent, see below) to help us design the survey. Joining our young people’s advisory group means you’ll help us to design the survey and give us feedback on what should be included.
Who can get involved?
We are looking for pupils who live in the UK. You can get involved if:
- You are a pupil at a secondary school, sixth form, or equivalent.
- You have been a pupil at a secondary school, sixth form, or equivalent in the last 3 years.
What will your involvement look like?
You’ll attend three online meetings during January and February 2025. The meetings will last between an hour and a half and two hours, and you may need to do some preparation before each meeting. You’ll be supported by researchers, who will lead a discussion around the drivers of eating disorders in the school environment.
What will you get from taking part?
You’ll receive a voucher after each session as a thank you. Receiving vouchers may have an impact on tax and benefits, so please get in touch if you'd like to discuss this.
As well as receiving vouchers, you will get:
• support and supervision throughout the project
• training and experience in mental health research
• the opportunity to have your voice heard in the project
• the chance to work with other experts – those with lived and/or professional experience
If you are interested you can complete an expression of interest form via the below link and we will be in touch.
Young person sign up: https://forms.office.com/e/WaUaETBEHA
Parent/carer or teacher sign up: https://forms.office.com/e/AGw8BsMQfE
Contact EDschool@annafreud.org with any questions.
We know that virtual reality (VR) can help treat mental health problems like anxiety. Some studies suggest it might be helpful for people with eating disorders, too. Our research suggests that people with eating disorders think it might be a helpful part of their treatment to be able to go to a virtual reality café where they could try out things they find challenging in real life cafés, such as choosing from a menu or ordering food.
Now, a company called Virtual Bodyworks is creating the virtual reality café and making the tasks. We want to work together with people with current or recent experience of an eating disorder at each stage of the creative process.
Who can take part:
We want to design a virtual reality café with people from the following groups:
1. People living in or around Bristol aged 18-25 who have experience of a current or previous eating disorder; and
2. People living in or around Bristol aged 16 or 17 who have experience of a previous eating disorder.
We are particularly keen to hear from males, individuals aged 16 or 17 who consider themselves recovered from an eating disorder, and people who have experienced eating disorders such as BED, bulimia, ARFID and OSFED. You don’t need to have received an eating disorder diagnosis to take part.
The study will involve taking part in a range of co-design activities - you will be invited to participate in each activity separately and can choose which of them you would like to help with. You can take part in as many or as few co-design activities as you like. Activities will include:
- Providing comments or feedback on screenshots of the planned VR café design that are sent to you by email (including café backgrounds; images of avatars to use in the café; images of menus with and without calories).
- Providing comments or feedback on written scripts of café conversations, including conversations involving ordering food and drinks, and speaking to an acquaintance in the café.
- Trying out the VR scenarios using a VR headset at the University of Bristol and telling us your thoughts and feedback.
For each hour of time you participate, we will send you a £20 Love2Shop voucher to say thank you. We can also pay reasonable transport costs from within the Bristol area if you wish to try out the VR scenarios in person.
To find out more about the study and to register your interest in taking part, please visit this link.
If you have any questions about the study, please get in touch with us at vr-eatingdisorders-project@bristol.ac.uk.
Researchers at the University of York are recruiting participants to take part in an online survey.
The survey is about around how people interpret the sensations they get from their body. This data is being collected to refine a new questionnaire that asks people about their emotional reaction to sensations from the stomach that signal states such as hunger, satiation, and fullness.
Taking part involves 1) completing an online survey that asks questions about the sensations people get from their body and stomach, gastric interoceptive evaluation, and their eating disorder symptoms, and 2) completing the gastric interoceptive evaluation questionnaire (only) again a week later.
This whole process is expected to take up to 20 minutes. There are x4 £50 Amazon e-vouchers to be won in a prize draw for completing the interoceptive evaluation questionnaire (only) again a week later.
To take part, participants must:
- Be aged 18+
- Identify as having an eating disorder (have a current diagnosis or think you have one. However, no proof of diagnosis is needed. We recognise that symptoms can be experienced without a formal diagnosis.)
- Be fluent in English
- Live in the UK
- Not have been admitted involuntarily for eating disorder (in or outpatient) treatment in the last 6 months (this is a protective measure)
The survey and further information about the study can be accessed via this link.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact lucy.stafford@york.ac.uk.
A researcher at the University of Manchester is seeking participants for a study who meet the following criteria:
- Over 50 years old
- Have past experience of disordered eating or have experienced period when eating habits have caused you distress
- Not currently receiving treatment for, or experiencing any disordered eating and have not over the past 2 years
- Are willing to participate in an online or in-person interview (in English) about your eating disorder experience and recovery
- You do not need to have had a formal diagnosis to participate in this study
- The researcher is particularly interested to hear from diverse populations
Please contact Marie.elshamaa@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
This study aims to gain insights into the experiences of individuals who have both an eating disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) through individual interviews.
These interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and will last approximately 1 hour. Participants also need to be 18 years or older, reside in the UK, and be fluent in English.
A researcher at Durham University is currently conducting a study on the role of exercise in eating disorder recovery. Their research aims to better understand individuals’ experiences with exercise during this crucial phase, with the ultimate goal of improving support and resources available to those in recovery.
They are looking for participants over 18 years old, living in the UK, who have personal experience of living with an eating disorder and have engaged in exercise as part of your recovery journey
The STORY study aims to explore the diverse experiences of young people with eating disorders and how they recover from them. How do symptoms progress over time and what characterises earlier and later stages of eating disorders? What factors help or hinder recovery? All this information will allow us to deliver more personalised and effective interventions for young people with eating disorders in the future.
This study is looking for people of all genders aged 16-25, who have an eating disorder or think they may have one. They also invite young people who have no history of an eating disorder or other major mental health disorders to take part in a control group.
Participants will take part for one year, during which you will complete online surveys and simple tasks on your computer or your smartphone at regular intervals. You will also download two apps onto your smartphone for some active and passive measures. If you feel comfortable, you can wear a smart ring on your finger to measure your heart rate and sleep for the year.
If you live in London or Edinburgh, you can also attend two optional assessment visits at King’s College London or the University of Edinburgh, for example, to complete some psychological tasks or undergo a brain scan.
You will be paid up to £175 for taking part and may receive a smartphone from us, as well as a picture of your brain!
Are you experiencing disordered eating and would like to get involved in a new nature programme?
This study aims to explore experiences of a nature connection programme designed (in collaboration with people with lived experience) to support people experiencing disordered eating.
What does the study involve?
· Carrying out the four-week (approx. 1 hour per week), online self-led ‘Appreciating Nature’ programme. This involves engaging with various activities centred around engaging with nature, each week.
· Answering some questions about yourself and the programme at various time points (during, before and after the programme and 8-weeks later).
Can I participate?
To be eligible to participate you must be:
· Aged 16+
· Living in the UK
· You don’t need an eating disorder diagnosis & you can be receiving other forms of support e.g., therapy
· You don’t need to be a nature person or spend lots of time in nature
· You don’t need access to natural spaces (the activities can be done from your garden/balcony and/or indoors if you wish)
Interested or would like to find out more?
If you would like to sign up, find out more or have any questions about the study/ are unsure whether you are eligible to participate please contact Mia, the lead researcher, at m.morgan16@unimail.derby.ac.uk
