Primary and Secondary Prevention of Eating Disorders

In this initiative, sponsored by the Harvard Catalyst Community Engagement Program, Harvard-affiliated faculty were invited to submit applications for pilot grants to support novel research partnerships with the potential to:

  • Generate new evidence or methodologies that foster deeper understanding of the primary or secondary prevention of eating disorders or disordered eating, and/or
  • Evaluate promising interventions that address the primary and secondary prevention of eating disorders or disordered eating.

The specific research priority areas represented topics covered during the Harvard Catalyst/ STRIPED Symposium entitled Reimagine the Frontier of Public Health Approaches to Eating Disorders Prevention, held on April 30, 2018 and included:

  • Effectiveness and Dissemination Studies of Primary and Secondary Preventive Interventions
  • Studies Focused on Macroenvironmental Factors
  • Translational Research
  • Economic and Decision Sciences Research

While proposals that addressed an area of particular interest were encouraged, this was an opportunity to conduct research in all areas of primary and secondary prevention of eating disorders and/ or disordered eating. Three pilots grants were awarded in the amount of up to $50,000 for a one-year period. Funding decisions were announced in December 2018.

Sponsoring Program

Community Engagement

Awardees

Allegra Gordon, ScD | Eating Disorders Prevention for Transgender Youth Adults: An Intervention Mapping Approach
Erica Kenney, ScD | Understanding How Youth Experience Weight Stigma and the Role of Weight-Focused Intervention Programs in U.S. Schools 
Fatima Stanford, MD | Legal Protection Against Weight Discrimination: A Potential Macro-Environmental Lever to Prevent Eating Disorders