Maria Nicula, a McMaster University student, will be collaborating with Body Brave to explore users' perspectives and firsthand encounters with a low-barrier, stepped care virtual eating disorder support program.

To meet the growing need of services as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, Body Brave partnered with Careteam Technologies to develop the Recovery Support Program (RSP). This PHIPA-compliant virtual service offers users a range of supportive modalities, including check-ins, self-guided support sessions, access to peer support services, and a wealth of resources promoting mental health literacy and guidance on accessing additional support tailored to their needs.

Through Maria's qualitative research study, we will gain invaluable insights into users' experiences and perspectives on the RSP. Using semi-structured qualitative interviews guided by the principles of qualitative description, Maria will delve deep into the lived realities of individuals navigating the program. Furthermore, she will collaborate closely with RSP users to gain a comprehensive understanding of the role of low-barrier, scalable, virtual care—such as the RSP—within the broader spectrum of eating disorder supports available to Canadians.

MEDIA RELEASE | In May 2021, Body Brave received a $116,800 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. This support allowed the organization to successfully build and adapt their services to an online environment and improve their technological capacity to deliver community-based eating disorder support and treatment services across the province.

The treatment of eating disorders—suboptimal even before the pandemic—can be improved with primary care involvement, community support, and increased use of technology.

“As soon as this pandemic is over, I am going on a diet. Got to get rid of the Covid 15!” How many of us have heard or read words like these? In our diet-obsessed culture, we are bombarded with images of the “before” and “after” bodies, usually linked with an ad for the latest diet.

[Video] Sonia Kumar-Seguin, Patient advocate

“There are ways to support each other,” Kumar-Seguin, who is the executive director of Body Brave. “This type of event helps spread that awareness.”

“It’s really important for strong, successful women to be aware of their mental health,” she said. “Take care of yourself. It can only be good for your business.”

Dr. Jennifer Couturier and her research team at McMaster University are now recruiting youth under 18 years of age, parents of youth under 18, clinicians, and program managers to join a research study and share their experiences with eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participation would include a 1-hr video interview and you would be compensated with a gift card.

For more information and to apply, click here: https://couturier.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8pRJR4fi8n8BWw6

If you have any questions, please reach out to the research coordinator, Danielle Pellegrini at pellegdm@mcmaster.ca

Family physicians are one of the first points of contact for individuals with eating disorders (EDs) seeking care and treatment, but training in this area is suboptimal and insufficient.

More than a million Canadians struggle with eating disorders yet there’s little help or support, report experts.

Today is World Eating Disorders Action Day, and advocates, health professionals, those affected and their families are highlighting why eating disorders can’t afford to wait.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a serious public health crisis for people with eating disorders. In a recent article published by The Canadian Press (Jan 20, 2021), specialists from across Canada sounded the alarm about a dramatic increase in the number of adolescents seeking treatment. Many of these young people are very ill, at risk for dangerous medical complications of their eating disorder.”

“As someone with lived experience, and as a person of mixed colour, Sonia brings a unique perspective to addressing eating disorders as a mental health issue, raising up the voices of people with lived experience and seeking more equitable access and support.”

Sonia co-founded Body Brave with her mother Dr. Karen Trollope. It was a response to Sonia’s difficulties navigating the healthcare system in search of support during an 8-year battle living with an eating disorder.