Guest blog by Mia Morgan

The wellbeing benefits of nature connection are well-documented, but what about its impact on disordered eating? This is a topic discussed and researched far less and is the focus of my current PhD project! In addition to background on the topic, this blog provides information on an opportunity for people with previous experience of disordered eating and professionals who support this population to get involved – further details below.

Nature connection interventions are being developed to improve wellbeing in the general population as well as some clinical groups. However, I am not aware of an intervention focusing on nature connection that has been developed and trialled with people with disordered eating. A growing amount of research evidence suggests that engaging with nature could help this population. Studies with the general population have shown that nature exposure and connection can increase body appreciation, including appreciation of its functions, both of which are protective factors for disordered eating. Additionally, people who have recovered from eating disorders have explained that connecting to nature allows them to re-connect with their bodies – a connection often lost when experiencing disordered eating symptoms. They also expressed how it allows them to experience a sense of belonging, feeling like nature accepts them for who they are without judgement.  These are just a few of the documented benefits! Despite this evidence, consideration around using connection to nature as a potential therapeutic strategy for this population is lacking.

To address this gap, my PhD project will develop a nature connection intervention for people with disordered eating in collaboration with individuals with lived experience of these attitudes and behaviours and relevant professionals. I will then carry out a small-scale trial, to test whether people find it effective and acceptable.  The plan is for this intervention to be available to people aged 16+ who are in the earlier stages of experiencing disordered eating symptoms, so do not have an eating disorder diagnosis. It is hoped that the intervention will made available through social prescribing, a framework that allows healthcare professionals usually working within primary care to refer people to programmes in their community, to ensure as many people can access it as possible. I am lucky to have First Steps ED, a disordered eating charity based in Derby, as a collaborator on the project, supporting me in various ways.

So, how am I developing this intervention? I have decided to use an approach that grounds the development in the experiences and perspectives of the people that will use the intervention, as well as people with other relevant expertise. My first study involves online interviews with people with previous experience of disordered eating and focus groups with professionals who support this population in community settings including third sector organisations. These will explore people’s views and experiences on how nature can support people with disordered eating and their thoughts on how the intervention may look. I encourage people to be as open and creative as possible with their thoughts as this is a brand-new type of intervention for this population.

The findings from these sessions will be used to help design the intervention, so they are a great opportunity for people to contribute to the intervention development and have their say on what they think would make it effective. I am now inviting people to participate in these interviews and focus groups, so if you would like to find out more, please do get in touch (email below). Or follow the link below for more information. I am keen to recruit people of all genders and ethnicities to make sure this intervention is both relevant and accessible to as many people as possible, which is often lacking with disordered eating interventions.

I am also carrying out focus groups (at a later date) with people delivering nature connection interventions in the community to support mental health and social prescribers. These will also be exploring people’s ideas on the design of the intervention. Please also get in touch if you would like to find out more about these.

Following this study, I will create a draft version of the intervention which will be shared with the co-creators (people with lived experience of disordered eating, professionals that support this population, nature-based practitioners, and social prescribers) in various ways. In response to feedback gathered from these individuals, I will refine the intervention before going onto test it out with a group of people with disordered eating. I will measure the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of the intervention through various outcome measures as well as surveys and interviews. If all goes well, I am hoping this will lead to a larger trial (Randomised Control Trial) post-PhD – the ultimate dream!

Overall, my goal for this project is to create an intervention that is as tailored and effective as possible for people with disordered eating. I am determined to develop something that can be accessed and used by as many people as possible, including people from all genders and backgrounds and with different levels of access to nature. I hope the intervention will be a way to teach people skills they can use in their everyday lives, utilising the incredible (free to use!) resource that is nature, which is often taken for granted and not given the appreciation it deserves for how powerful it can be in improving our wellbeing!

Find out more about my study

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about my first study involving interviews with people with previous experience of disordered eating and focus groups with professionals who support this population then please email me. Or follow this link where you can find more information and sign up. Likewise, please do contact me with any queries related to the project, it would be great to hear from you!