Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) 2024 Reflections
Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) has already come and gone (February 26th - March 3rd this year), but I still had some reflections I wanted to share.
First, a little history - the initial Eating Disorder Awareness week was marked in 1984 by the National Anorexic Aid Society, to coincide with the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA)’s 3rd conference. (1) Since then, NEDA has been the main hub for this educational week worldwide, providing sponsored walks and events, resources, and fundraising for those impacted. When I was living in Minnesota, I actually got to attend the annual Mall of America EDAW Walk three years in a row; I even wrote a blog post about my first experience in 2018: Trust Me I’m a (Mom) (Yogi) RD.
Now in 2024, it felt impossible to commemorate this event without acknowledging the Palestinian genocide, systemic racism that continues to impact ED treatment and research, let alone any stressors affecting your community directly. I mean think about it: EDAW started in Black History Month, but the statistics show that BIPOC individuals are under diagnosed with anorexia nervosa due to flaws in research, in addition to racial discrimination AND weight stigma. The system is still broken…
The world in general just feels overwhelming, and many healthcare providers in the ED field (like myself) are experiencing helplessness and burnout.
With that being said, while my week may have been less eventful than previous years, I was still grateful for the work and volunteer experiences I did have. My private practice was full of nutrition counseling clients, discussed how to ditch diet culture, processing body image, and motivational interviewing. My part-time role at the behavioral health hospital included psychoeducation groups on Eating Disorders and disordered eating symptoms, which patients of all diagnoses were receptive to.
Then at the end of the week, the Eating Disorder Coalition of Iowa provided a sponsored conference featuring the amazing Ragen Chastain - writer, activist, and educator on weight stigma in healthcare. I have probably referred every client this following week to her evidenced-based writings on weight stigma in healthcare (https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/) because it is just SO. GOOD! I was so grateful for her interactive and engaging speaking style, which made me more motivated at the start of my work week.
Below are other resources I have found useful to help diversify my learning, including anti-fat bias and navigating racial discrimination in the eating disorder recovery space:
https://bipoceatingdisordersconference.com/
https://www.theprojectheal.org/
https://eatingdisorderscoalition.org/
https://www.weightinclusivenutrition.com/
https://thenutritiontea.substack.com/
https://www.maintenancephase.com/
So - my life may look very different from 2018, but I will end this blog with the same outgoing message as I did then:
“I hope your NEDA week was spent doing the things you love, with the ones you love, and most importantly, loving yourself. Don't ever be afraid to share your story, or reach out for help if you are struggling. You ARE NOT alone.” Namaste :)
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