Prevention and early intervention of eating disorders: an evidence- and gap map
Mapping review
|Published
In this evidence and gap map, we have mapped the summarized research on the effects of universal, selective, and indicated prevention, as well as early intervention for eating disorders.
Key message
Before implementing preventive measures for eating disorders, it is useful to understand their effectiveness. In this evidence and gap map, we have mapped the summarized research on the effects of universal, selective, and indicated prevention, as well as early intervention for eating disorders. We included systematic reviews and umbrella reviews that examined the impact of preventive interventions on disordered eating behaviours and body dissatisfaction. Additionally, we assessed the methodological quality of the most recent reviews using the AMSTAR-2 checklist.
We identified the reviews through systematic literature searches, screened them against predefined inclusion criteria, and categorized them according to a pre-established framework. Our findings include:
- 75 reviews on the prevention of eating disorders
- 44 reviews on early intervention
- No reviews on early detection of eating disorders
73% of the studies in the reviews included only females, 60% both males and females, 10% only males, and 4% multiple gender identities. Few reviews addressed prevention among minority groups, such as immigrants or individuals with disabilities.
None of the 17 newest systematic reviews were assessed as having high methodological quality; seven were rated moderate, six low, and four critically low. We did not synthesize the findings from the individual reviews or assess the effectiveness of the interventions. The data from the evidence- and gap map are publicly available on the digital dissemination platform EPPI-Vis: https://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/eppi-vis/Review/Index/872