Adapting Practice to Culture in Eating Disorders of Children and Adolescents: A Literature Review

Research has shown that individuals from an ethnic minority background in the United Kingdom are less likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder and therefore receive treatment. As this has been highlighted as an area that needs to be addressed to reduce the duration of untreated illness, it is important to explore the research around how best to adapt practice and services to reduce the duration of untreated illness and intervene earlier to pursue a better outcome. This literature review focused on the four eating disorders and treatments outlined in the NICE Guidelines for under 18s. The initial search offered 231; however, once filtered, 61 papers were considered. Following reading the title and abstract, 28 papers were examined. Finally, 9 explored ED interventions within our population. The findings are discussed in detail, and recommendations for services and further research are suggested, such as further research into CBT-E (a NICE recommended intervention) within different cultures, how to help clinicians consider how to respect culture and beliefs through recovery, and what cultural adaptations need to be made to therapy to provide effective support for increasingly culturally diverse populations.