Help-seeking experience for an eating disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Black and Black mixed-race adult's help-seeking experience for an eating disorder
IRAS ID
368913
Contact name
Angel Nabakooza
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church Univeristy
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
The research project aims to understand how Black and Black mixed-race people experienced seeking help for an eating disorder.
Eating disorders (ED) are characterised by eating behaviour and weight changes (Qian et al., 2021), The type of eating disorders that will be included are anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorder not otherwise specified. In Western settings, eating disorders can be found in all ethnic groups (Waller et al., 2009), but people from minority groups are less likely to present to or receive support from eating disorder services (Wilkins et al., 2025).Williams-Ridgway et al. (2025) conducted a systematic review to explore the ethnic differences in studies examining prevalence of ED, access to treatment and treatment experiences in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and the UK. They found there were individual, cultural and systemic barriers to help-seeking and accessing ED treatment. For example, in South Asian communities’ cultural and religious beliefs of mental health can uphold and sustain shame around ED. They also recognised he importance to not consider all minority ethnic groups as one, as there are cultural differences to how Black and Asian communities view EDs (Williams-Ridgway et al., 2025). For this reason, the research project will explore the experiences of Black and Black mixed-race adults.
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis will analyse the help seeking experiences. It will consider what has facilitated or hindered the help-seeking process and if participant's identity has shaped their decisions and experiences. In addition, it will also consider how their racial identity has influenced the help-receiving process (the act of accepting or allowing another person to help).
Ten participants will be interviewed. Each interview will last approximately 60minutes. The participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire prior to the start of the interview to gather demographic data.REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
26/WS/0081
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jul 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion