An Anthropological Approach to Eating Disorders: Developing an Innovative Socio-cultural Strategy for Research, Treatment and Prevention

我们提出了一种新的合作方式，以开展一套协调的、以需求为导向的能力建设、联网和研究活动，所有这些活动都以人类学理论和方法为基础，并以联合生产为核心。关于受饮食障碍影响的特定群体的经历以及社会和临床需求方面的知识存在差距；这包括那些被诊断患有某些饮食障碍的人，如Bed、OSFED和ARFID；患有饮食障碍和其他心理健康挑战的人，如自残；以及各种社会人口群体的个人：老年人；男性；少数民族和移民；神经分歧者；不同社会阶层的人；以及认为自己是LGBTQ+的人。这些知识差距阻碍了适当和有效的预防策略和临床服务的设计。消除这些差距需要两件关键的事情：确定研究优先事项，并与有生活经验的人合作进行研究，特别是那些迄今未得到饮食失调研究的人；该领域包括超出传统资金流和饮食失调临床相关证据范例的学科方法，但有可能产生对预防、治疗和结果至关重要的见解。具体地说，这些目前的知识差距需要一种方法，能够处理生活经历的异质性，并探索社会文化背景以及社会和心理健康不平等如何影响疾病和健康经验、服务获得和参与，从而影响结果。人类学是回应这一呼唤的理想人选。将人类学研究与持续而有意义的联合制作结合在一起，将产生试验性研究，也将产生新的研究议程。在饮食失调研究领域中被普遍忽视的人们的生活经历、需求和优先事项的引领下，这项议程将在该基金的持续时间之后具有临床意义。因此，我们的重点不仅是进行人类学研究；我们还寻求反思如何将人类学整合到研究领域中，并在此基础上做出贡献，以改善饮食失调患者及其家人的生活。因此，通过这个项目，我们的目标是以合作和伦理的方式推动饮食障碍研究中亟需的一步改变。为了加强这一目标，有必要可持续地建设饮食障碍研究领域的能力，并跨越国界进行合作。我们将建立强有力的框架，支持有生活经验的人和职业生涯早期的学者成为研究领导者。此外，我们将在地方和国家生活经验社区、学者、临床医生和其他利益相关者之间基于公平的知识交流和资源共享开展网络活动。通过这些合作，我们的目标是这个项目将纠正英国饮食失调研究领域目前的地理失衡，并提高区域能力。这将为未来位于米德兰兹郡的跨学科饮食失调研究中心奠定基础。

We propose a novel collaboration to undertake a coordinated set of needs-led capacity building, networking, and research activities, all underpinned by anthropological theory and method and with co-production at their core. There are gaps in knowledge regarding the experiences, and both social and clinical needs, of specific groups of people affected by eating disorders; this includes those with certain eating disorder diagnoses, such as BED, OSFED and ARFID; people living with an eating disorder and another mental health challenge, such as self-harm; and individuals across a range of socio-demographic groups: older people; males; those from ethnic minorities and migrants; people with neurodivergence; those of different social classes; and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. These knowledge gaps hinder the design of appropriate and effective prevention strategies and clinical services. To address these gaps requires two key things: that research priorities be defined, and research undertaken, in collaboration with people with lived experience, especially those underserved by eating disorders research to date; and that the field include disciplinary approaches that have fallen outside traditional funding streams and paradigms of clinically-relevant evidence in eating disorders, but which have the potential to generate insights that are crucial to prevention, treatment and outcomes. Specifically, these current knowledge gaps require an approach that can engage with the heterogeneity of lived experiences and explore how socio-cultural contexts, and social and mental health inequalities, shape illness and health experiences, service access and engagements, and thus outcomes. Anthropology is ideally placed to answer this call.Drawing together anthropological research with sustained and meaningful co-production will engender both pilot research and also a new research agenda. Led by the lived experiences, needs and priorities of people who have been largely overlooked in the eating disorders research field, this agenda will have clinical relevance beyond the duration of this funding.Our focus, then, is not just on doing anthropological research; we also seek to reflect on how to integrate anthropology into the research field, and build on it in order to contribute to improving the lives of those with eating disorders and their families. Through this project we thereby aim to collaboratively and ethically instigate a much-needed step change in eating disorders research.To undergird this aim, it is necessary to sustainably build capacity in the eating disorders research field and work collaboratively across boundaries. We will put in place robust frameworks to support people with lived experience and early career academics to become research leaders. In addition, we will undertake networking activities based on equitable knowledge exchange and resource sharing among local and national lived experience communities, academics, clinicians and other stakeholders.Through these collaborations we aim that this project will redress current geographical imbalances in the UK eating disorders research field and increase regional capacity. This will lay the ground for a future Midlands-based interdisciplinary eating disorders research centre.