AED Advocacy Activities

The Academy for Eating Disorders is an international transdisciplinary professional organization that promotes excellence in research, treatment and prevention of eating disorders. Together, the AED community advocates for the field of eating disorders on behalf of patients, the public and professionals.

Position Statements

AED releases statements on issues related to eating disorders on a periodic basis. Recent Academy position papers include:

AED Position Paper: The Role of the Family in Eating Disorders (Posted September 15, 2009)
AED Position Paper: Eating Disorders are Serious Mental Illnesses (Posted March 25, 2009)
AED Guidelines for Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs (Posted Feb. 26, 2009)

Advocacy Efforts

AED Issues Letter to Editor of Bicycling Magazine
Read the letter to the editor responding to Bicycling Magazine's article “Fat to Fab,” where 10 well-known elite cyclists report on their weight loss practices.

AED Responds to Michelle Obama
Read the letter to the First Lady from AED and other key eating disorders organizations.

AED Joins Other Eating Disorder Organizations to Urge Focus on Health and Lifestyle Rather Than Weight
Read the new press release, resulting from an unprecedented show of concern.

AED Issues Guidelines for Childhood Obesity Programs
Read the guidelines, which are meant to ensure that community- and school-based efforts are carried out with equal concern for children's physical, social and emotional health.

World Wide Charter on Eating Disorders

Drawn from the responses of 1,730 people with or recovered from eating disorders, family members, professionals, and other stakeholders from 46 countries to a Web-based survey developed by the World Summit Task Force, the Charter defines the rights and expectations that people with eating disorders and their families can seek from those responsible for health policies and practices worldwide. The goal is to form a united coalition that can persuade policy makers around the globe to commit to the actions set forth in the Charter.

AED members are encouraged to adopt the Charter in their organizations and in their communities and to use the Charter as a vehicle for working with local governments and policy makers to improve the availability and the quality of eating disorder treatment and services in their regions. Read the Charter now, available in English, Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Spanish and Portugese.