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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0The International Journal of Eating Disorders

Threats to Public Health and Scientific Infrastructures Threaten Progress in Eating Disorder Research, Treatment, and Prevention: A Call to Action for the Field

  • Ariel L. Beccia1,2,3
  • Lilian P. Palmer4
  • Bek Urban5
  • Amanda Raffoul6
6 affiliations
  1. 1Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Boston Children's Hospital Boston Massachusetts USA
  2. 2Department of Pediatrics Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA
  3. 3Department of Epidemiology Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston Massachusetts USA
  4. 4Department of Psychology The University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas USA
  5. 5Department of Psychology Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond Virginia USA
  6. 6Department of Nutritional Sciences University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
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Abstract

The US federal government has enacted sweeping policy changes since January 2025 that imperil public health, with important implications for the eating disorders field—a field that is already disproportionately under‐resourced. This paper examines the pathways through which these recent policy changes threaten progress in eating disorder research, treatment, and prevention, and calls for a coordinated response. We identify three interconnected areas of concern: (1) the threats to the scientific enterprise, including terminated eating disorder grants, the purging of public health data, and disruptions to the research training pipeline; (2) the erosion of healthcare access, including bans on gender‐affirming care and slashed funding for government programs such as Medicaid; and (3) the dismantling of structural protections and equity infrastructure, including reducing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program budget and the systematic dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These domestic crises are further compounded by global consequences resulting from the US retreat from international research and health investments, with direct implications for eating disorder science and care worldwide. We call on the eating disorders field to respond with coordinated advocacy, cross‐national collaboration, and sustained commitment to protecting the infrastructures on which equitable progress depends.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{beccia2026threats,
  title = {{Threats to Public Health and Scientific Infrastructures Threaten Progress in Eating Disorder Research, Treatment, and Prevention: A Call to Action for the Field}},
  author = {Ariel L. Beccia and Lilian P. Palmer and Bek Urban and Amanda Raffoul},
  journal = {The International Journal of Eating Disorders},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1002/eat.70159},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70159},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Threats to Public Health and Scientific Infrastructures Threaten Progress in Eating Disorder Research, Treatment, and Prevention: A Call to Action for the Field
AU  - Ariel L. Beccia
AU  - Lilian P. Palmer
AU  - Bek Urban
AU  - Amanda Raffoul
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/02
JO  - The International Journal of Eating Disorders
DO  - 10.1002/eat.70159
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70159
AB  - The US federal government has enacted sweeping policy changes since January 2025 that imperil public health, with important implications for the eating disorders field—a field that is already disproportionately under‐resourced. This paper examines the pathways through which these recent policy changes threaten progress in eating disorder research, treatment, and prevention, and calls for a coordinated response. We identify three interconnected areas of concern: (1) the threats to the scientific enterprise, including terminated eating disorder grants, the purging of public health data, and disruptions to the research training pipeline; (2) the erosion of healthcare access, including bans on gender‐affirming care and slashed funding for government programs such as Medicaid; and (3) the dismantling of structural protections and equity infrastructure, including reducing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program budget and the systematic dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These domestic crises are further compounded by global consequences resulting from the US retreat from international research and health investments, with direct implications for eating disorder science and care worldwide. We call on the eating disorders field to respond with coordinated advocacy, cross‐national collaboration, and sustained commitment to protecting the infrastructures on which equitable progress depends.
SN  - 0276-3478
SN  - 1098-108X
ER  -