CEDO Responds to NEDA's statement on the AAP's new Treatment Guidelines
As the Collaborative of Eating Disorders Organizations (CEDO), we are disappointed by the recent statement released by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Their statement expressed concern about - but notably did not oppose - the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) new guidelines for treating childhood “obesity,” which recommend extreme weight loss measures like medication and bariatric surgery for children as young as 12 and 13 years old.
These guidelines are in opposition to a long list of research studies that conclude weight loss interventions for children have serious adverse consequences, including a study published on Jan 25, 2023 (Feb Journal) in Obesity: A Research Journal which shows that bariatric surgery increases the risk of suicide in young people (age 18-24) by five times.
All eating disorder nonprofits have a responsibility to serve and advocate for all people who have or are at risk for developing eating disorders, including young people at higher weights. The vast majority of the eating disorder community have been working for years toward weight-neutral and weight-inclusive care.
The AAP’s guidelines are based on the false premise that weight is an indicator of health, and NEDA’s statement tacitly implies their belief that extreme weight loss interventions are appropriate in some cases for young people. This is in direct opposition to the beliefs held by the vast consensus of eating disorder providers and people with lived experience. It undercuts the rest of the eating disorder community's valid concerns of dangerous outcomes based on the AAP guidelines, and as such, is a failure of leadership.
We call upon NEDA to listen to the eating disorder community they represent and join us in opposing the AAP’s new guidelines. The entire eating disorder community needs to strongly and unanimously oppose the AAP’s guidelines so that the ongoing eating disorder crisis in the U.S. does not continue to exponentially worsen.
For additional context, see CEDO's earlier statement, the Academy for Eating Disorders’ (AED) statement, Eating Recovery Center’s statement (and corresponding petition), and FEDUP’s statement.
