EvolvED: Advancing Eating Disorder Care in Pediatric Primary Care
Statement of Problem
Early intervention is critical to improving eating disorder outcomes and is tied to lower rates of hospitalization and reduced likelihood of poor long-term health outcomes. But despite ample evidence, early intervention is far from standard. We know from our research that delays in treatment are common, particularly for boys, LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color. Adolescents need care models that equitably improve early detection of and intervention for eating disorders.
Primary care providers are the first line of clinical support for teens with eating disorders. For many youth, especially marginalized youth, yearly well visits are their primary contact with a health care provider. While the vast majority of primary care providers see adolescents with eating disorders, over 62% report needing more education in the early identification of eating disorders. There is an imminent need for resources to support providers in growing their knowledge base and confidence in managing youth with or at risk for eating disorders.
Description
This pilot study aims to improve detection and treatment of eating disorders among pediatric primary care providers. Our aims are to:
Alongside eating disorder experts and primary care providers, co-create a suite of online educational tools (EvolvED) to improve the identification and treatment of eating disorders in pediatric primary care
Pilot and evaluate the effectiveness, acceptability, and usefulness of the suite of tools with primary care providers using a mixed-methods approach
This project is the first of its kind to focus specifically on pediatric primary care populations while taking an iterative and collaborative approach to designing educational materials and resources.
Next Steps
We will aim to create and disseminate a free website hosting the suite of tools. This pilot will serve as the foundation for a broader research agenda to address eating disorders in the community, with a focus on equitable design, delivery and scaling of interventions.
This project page was last updated in March 2025.
Suggested Citation
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PolicyLab. EvolvED: Advancing Eating Disorder Care in Pediatric Primary Care [Online]. Available at: http://www.policylab.chop.edu [Accessed: plug in date accessed here].