TABLE 1.

Key recommendations to progress early intervention for eating disorders

Recommendation	Possible facilitators
1. Services and policy makers
1.1 Equitable access to early, evidence‐based eating disorder care	Provision of eating disorder treatment regardless of disorder stage/severity Provision of care in varied settings including outreach/community‐based services as well as specialist/tertiary services
1.2 Training a diverse workforce that can meet the needs of individuals with eating disorders in the local population	‘Task sharing’ of roles with mental health professionals working alongside experts by experience/peer support workers/low intensity therapists Involvement of carers in service provision Attention to staff characteristics with efforts to promote diversity and inclusivity
1.3 Youth‐friendly care that bridges the 18‐year age divide	Services that work across the adolescent/adult age divide Outreach to relevant community services/sectors, to facilitate easy access into care and smooth transitions out of care Good transition pathways between services
1.4 Flexible treatment delivery—tailoring treatment provision to individual and local needs	Provision of care in varied settings including outreach/community‐based services as well as specialist/tertiary services Use of online, digital, and self‐help interventions
2. Clinicians
2.1 Early detection of eating disorders	Pro‐active screening and assessment for eating disorder symptoms with prompt onward referral for support when indicated Direct emphasis on the benefits of early intervention including brain changes
2.2 Culturally sensitive care	Clinician training that challenges sociocultural biases relating to eating disorders, weight, health and body image Pro‐active outreach to under‐represented and marginalised groups
2.3 Individualised, developmentally appropriate assessment and treatment	Early provision of relevant psychoeducation, tailored to age and illness stage Positive, recovery focussed, motivational clinician stance that balances attention to ambivalence with an emphasis on the benefits of early intervention and change Routine involvement of family/close others, including the provision of carer support Consideration of social media use, transitions, identity formation and life stage (adolescence/emerging adulthood) Adaptation of evidence‐based treatments to age, illness stage and circumstances with use of online, digital or self‐help formats if applicable
3. Researchers
3.1 Evaluation of links between DUED and outcomes	Routine assessment of DUED, including further validation of self‐report questionnaires Consideration of the most effective time frame/s for early intervention, by age of onset
3.2 Continued evaluation of early intervention service models and treatments	Assessment of early intervention service models (e.g., FREED) across different settings and populations, including long‐term follow‐up Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of eating disorder treatments within early intervention samples Consideration of developmentally appropriate care including ways to sensitively consider gender identity and sexuality in adolescence and emerging adulthood Multi‐modal neurobiological studies to characterise biomarkers/predictors associated with first episode eating disorders

Abbreviation: DUED, Duration of Untreated Eating Disorder.