Our lives have all been significantly changed over the last several weeks due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), and individuals living with eating disorders may well be facing specific challenges related to treatment and recovery. The research and clinical teams at CEED are very interested understanding how COVID-19 (coronavirus) is affecting your daily life. So we have developed a brief survey (around 10 minutes) as part of a research study on the effects of COVID-19 on eating disorders treatment and recovery (you can access the survey Impact of COVID-19 on Eating Disorders). Our plan is to repeat this survey monthly as the situation evolves and to use the information to help clinicians determine how best to serve your healthcare needs during this unprecedented time.

We hope that this study will help us understand how these significant lifestyle changes are directly affecting all aspects of eating disorders treatment and recovery. There are no currently established data or protocols regarding how best to proceed with eating disorders care during a pandemic, nor are there data on the unique challenges or stressors that people living with eating disorders might face. However, there is an immediate need to collect these data to inform strategies moving forward in the coming weeks and months.

The clinical and research teams at CEED constantly strive to improve care for individuals with eating disorders teams, and we will continue to do so during this difficult time.

We invite individuals with any eating disorder to complete our brief online survey about how their treatment, symptoms, and support systems are being affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We intend to replicate this study around the world to help guide clinicians in many countries who are dedicated to the health and well-being of individuals with eating disorders. We are hopeful that these data will inform efforts to improve mental health and inform strategies for the coming weeks, months, and years. If you are interested, you can access the consent form and the survey link here: Impact of COVID-19 on Eating Disorders. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to the research team via email at ed_corona@unc.edu.

This study is overseen by the Institutional Review Board at the University of North Carolina (IRB study number 20-0964).