We don't know how to help: an online survey of school staff

Abstract

Background Eating disorders (ED) have a peak rate of onset in school‐aged children. Little is known about teachers’ experiences of ED. Method A total of 826 school staff completed an online questionnaire exploring their Eating Disorder experiences. Responses were analysed using content analysis principles. Results 74 per cent of respondents’ schools had received no training on ED, 40% did not know how to follow up pupils’ Eating Disorder concerns and 89% of respondents felt uncomfortable teaching pupils about ED. Conclusions School staff feel ill‐equipped to support ED. Training in the recognition, support and teaching of ED would be welcomed and could improve outcomes for young people.

Spotting and supporting eating disorders in school: recommendations from school staff

“…All participants had taken part in a previous study that required them to complete a survey about their experiences of eating disorders in schools and had expressed a willingness to be involved in future interviews or focus groups on the topic. Of 826 staff who had completed an online survey [16] 109 expressed an interest in participating in further studies and 63 took part in the focus groups outlined in this study; 76% (n ¼ 48) of participants were female. Current UK school staff were eligible to participate.…”

Treatment of anorexia nervosa: a multimethod investigation translating experimental neuroscience into clinical practice

“…The qualitative components were used to either inform intervention development, 63,65 or as process evaluations of the interventions tested. [158][159][160]167,409 Both approaches have been highly valuable and have added much needed detail to inform the iterative process of intervention development and testing.…”

Policy Actions to Address Weight‐Based Bullying and Eating Disorders in Schools: Views of Teachers and School Administrators

“…Given that both weight‐related bullying and disordered eating behaviors affect a significant portion of school‐aged youth, schools have been identified as an important setting for interventions to address weight‐related bullying and eating disorders . Although different types of prevention and intervention programs to address these problems have been studied, implementation of such opportunities remains absent in most schools, and teachers and school personnel have little (or no) knowledge and training to address these issues with students . In addition, there has been little action to implement policy‐level changes that could have a broader impact on addressing these problems in schools.…”

“…[23][24][25][26] Although different types of prevention and intervention programs to address these problems have been studied, implementation of such opportunities remains absent in most schools, and teachers and school personnel have little (or no) knowledge and training to address these issues with students. [27][28][29] In addition, there has been little action to implement policy-level changes that could have a broader impact on addressing these problems in schools. For example, only 1 state (Virginia) 30 requires schools to promote screening of eating disorders, and only 3 states (New York, New Hampshire, and Maine) have antibullying laws that enumerate body weight or physical appearance as a characteristic that places students at risk for bullying.…”

“…31 These challenges have led to increasing calls for broader remedies to prevent and reduce eating disorders and weight-related bullying more systematically in schools through policy actions that can impact large populations of youth. Proposals for new policy actions include addressing these topics in school-based health curriculum, implementing school-based screening for eating disorders, requiring training for teachers and sports coaches on prevention and early identification of eating disorders and weight-related bullying, 24,27 modifying elementary physical education to be more supportive of overweight students, 32 improving school-based antibullying policies and state antibullying laws to protect students from being bullied about their weight, 26,33 and introducing new legal measures to combat unfair treatment of overweight students. 34 In a national study, we found considerable support for these types of school-based policy actions among both the American general public and health professionals who specialize in eating disorders.…”