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Emergency Department

Eating Disorders Awareness Week | February 1-7, 2025

For Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW), the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) works with organizations across Canada to develop a social media campaign. For 2025, EDAW’s theme is “Embracing Possibilities.” The theme highlights the current challenges with eating disorder care across Canada. The campaign also highlights resources and events across Canada available to individuals with disordered eating and eating disorders.

Eating Disorder Awareness Week graphic

Currently, one-third of Canadians report thoughts and behaviours consistent with an eating disorder. Young Canadians and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community carry the greatest risk of developing an eating disorder. Recent surveys of grade 7 to 12 students in Ontario and BC found over half of the students have felt preoccupied by their weight. Nearly half of the students reported not eating in order to change their weight.

In 2023, nearly 27% of Manitobans experienced food insecurity, meaning they worried about having enough food to eat. People who experience food insecurity are more likely to experience disordered eating than those who do not experience food insecurity.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has seen a significant increase in hospitalizations for eating disorders, with a 66% increase for females and a 47% increase for males. This highlights the greater need for earlier intervention for eating disorders. Even though rates of eating disorders keep increasing, research funding remains insufficient.

Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) Health Promotion staff have been working on eating disorder prevention through several initiatives, including working with NEDIC on EDAW. EDAW helps bring awareness to the challenges and barriers of eating disorder care and recovery in Manitoba. Other ways Health Promotion staff promote eating disorder prevention include:

  • Empowered Eating – a group program for participants wanting healthier food relationships. For more information and to register, go to Public Classes – Prairie Mountain Health.
  • Presentations to high school students on eating disorders, body image, media literacy, and healthy relationships with food
  • Manitoba Eating Disorder Network – A network of healthcare providers to connect and share resources about eating disorders, as well as create resources to share with other providers
  • Work with parents, teachers, coaches, healthcare providers, and more to help kids and teens have a positive and healthy relationship with food and their bodies

If you, or someone you know struggles with disordered eating or an eating disorder and needs help:

References
Results of MHRC Poll 21 — Mental Health Research Canada
(PDF) The Big Picture: An overview of the 2023 BC Adolescent Health Survey provincial results
New data on household food insecurity in 2023 – PROOF
Mental Health Hospitalizations in Canadian Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Over the COVID-19 Pandemic | Public Health | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network

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